Make the World Small

 I want my heart to encompass the world

a shimmering amber bubble of love
where safety and acceptance invite transformation's bloom

yet too often this vision seems helplessly and foolishly vast

despair floats up in the wake of hubris
voices clamor: it doesn’t matter...nothing matters...why bother?

shoulders tight, air compressed, innards

flip-turn against the cold white wall of the pool
fists clench into a self-induced stasis of knowing

but blessed crisis brings opportunity

and as alchemy turns lead to gold
I befriend the contraction and the petals unfurl in the light

in these moments, it helps to make the world small, again

as a hug, a tear, a grin, a long slow breath
small as deepest truth told in a whisper

I caress your cheek after I rise early in the darkness

the window sighs in the morning breeze
and I put on my slippers to ward off the cold floor