My body’s been holding a lot of anxiety lately. I search for information, get anxious, so search for more information, and the cycle continues.
Last Thursday I took a break and went to a local park that has a few hundred acres of old growth forest. This poem came out of that short trip. I hope it gives you a deep breath in the midst of it all, as it did for me.
Meanwhile
Meanwhile the world’s still doing spring
like nothing’s happening. There was sunlight
on the forest floor today, and the sounds of birds
welcoming themselves home to another place
they still belong. My fear found no corroboration
in the old growth Douglas firs, who seemed
as steady as ever. Not even the swarms
of little hemlocks clawing towards the light
echoed my alarm. They all just let me be there
with all the hornets buzzing in my chest.
Some mirrors are big enough to show you
how even the end of the world really isn’t.