Listen

Shhh…

Stop, loud world!
Stop drawing me in, taking me out, throwing me
‘round and ‘round,
upside down –
I want to walk straightly.

One day I heard my body
after years of ignorance and self-doubt and
self-pity;
I listened and stood,
searched for my tribe and
nourishment
and never felt better,
although it’s certainly been hard
to hear instead of ignore
and trust instead of berate.

When I stopped and listened…
[shhhh]
I’d never felt more alive.

One day I heard my husband

One day I heard the stranger
behind me in line

One day I heard my mother

One day I heard God