A Reminder to Breathe
A community poem, written by poetry machine
facilitated by Erin Sharkey
2022
Her fingers began drawing weakly across slate
to feel grounded is too brief.
I know the country mapped in every lead is to believe
more in the you in me. Come find the whispers in the trees
to find your way home
buoyant on waves of leaves
an ocean of fluttering sound.
Holding something new like a helium balloon
waiting for the wind to come back around again
birds wind soft hard
trees rustling, chirping engines
from cars
I feel cold in the wind, and it lifts
up my shirt and makes my hair
bounce
connection presence sunlight laughter
I fill my heart with stars
of universes beyond and sing
their celestial songs
a ripple runs down leaving
muck in the ground
hearing humming, low and
slow
connection!
the wind wraps its arms around me and holds
me steady in this place
now the sound of laughter and clapping surrounds me here
the wind in the leaves creates a beautiful harmony
with the wind and the sounds, here
is where I feel safe
here is where I feel
safe with life to give and light to share
It’s moving me to a heater
I feel cold and my fingers feel something bumpy
miracles gem light cut grass lemon ministry and us….
the bright, brightening, blissful laughter
of children in the breeze from behind
facing forward remembering past sounds
creating new harmonies
we glow our family
lifts its wings
generations later, our dreams sing love
and fairies simple, easy, true
whenever I look at the sky I see hope for us all
here comes the next thing, the needed, the not anymore
come, come, come truth
help us remember kindness, being lifted
set down, planted
currencies, green and otherwise
seeds feathers sparks flesh we don’t know
everything
tongues of birds – babble murmur on the breeze
I hear, I listen…I don’t understand…yet
The death of the patriarchy, the fall of the regime
The call of the sirens
with the flowing hair
Hope is here
Love will rule
Women will lead
The wind moves so I can be still, listening for
the voices and hearing the hidden messages
the sum of all that have given their breath to this earth
and returning arriving growing loving
the wind disperses my generational curses
making room for my ancestors to have space to dance
freely
it pushes you forward to do great things
It makes me feel free and alive while
I push threw it
And the wind blows my hair
Sweet
Sweet abundance to live in the moment and
Love on my people
The hunt for wild raspberries along the lake
Some were sour
Some were juicy
The juice ran down our chins
Rained down upon the waiting earth
Whether sweet or sour
The fresh loam accepted it all
The catalpas’s bean sway heavy on
Transplanted trees strong in their trunks
Surrounded by aunties and uncles planted here before
Ready to share the force of stronger gusts
The wind is making me inwards
Blowing me back into my body
I am listening for my name
The wind whispers softness back into my skin
Calling for slow
Calling for closed eyes and sweet lips
I am listening for “go”
A reminder to breathe