Hidden Pleasures

Bath is drawn

Trickling water sound

A freshly poured cup of Nettle tea before bed

Tension melts away…shoulders then head

Steam escaping my favorite mug

The sweet pungent flavor ignites each taste bud

Freshly washed cotton sheets

Crisp and cool, gently wrapped around tired feet

Opening a book…Instantaneously engaged

Anticipation builds with each page

The sun is retreating, turning in for the night

Its proclivity for self-reflection revealed by a scatter of light

I follow suit and ponder the day’s highs and lows

Transitioning worlds; painted skies; fade slow

My mind quiets, relinquishing control; body relaxes after

Under a dark blanket distorted by luminous matter

Cellular repair

A complex process of healing while unaware

Lungs swell and expel at a slowing pace

Basal temperature drop; heart rate decrease

My body understands even as I sleep

How to fulfill its own physical needs

Restoration in a subconscious state

The inner journey of recovery, a cycle on repeat

When I return with the day’s rising sun

Its effulgence evades me…the race has begun

Listing expectations, recalling obligations

Constructing their order of importance, anticipating each disturbance

Stop! I tell myself knowing the battle is futile

My morning must begin with a heart that is grateful

Inhale, Exhale

Remember my senses

Once vital for survival, they still have their uses

Restricted access; a key to the primitive brain

Neuronal wiring of youth established to avoid emotional pain

A time when I waited for others to comfort me

Assuming compassion was given externally

Discovering the link between my dysfunctional relations

Ignited a quest toward self-regulation

Breathwork is the truest form of living in the moment

All else falls away with this simplest intent

First, honor myself by going within

Dance to the innocent child’s beat of the drum

My German Shepherd curls up nearby

Witnessing the gradual metamorphosis that will open my eye

Keen about what she most desires most

Recognition for being a good girl, companionship

I scratch behind her ear in agreement

Then, notice my hand

Touch of the thumb to a smooth metal band

6 grams, previously weightless

I bask in its symbolic faithfulness

Kindred spirits tethered together

Walking through life, choosing one another

Sharing space, side-by-side

A place far more beautiful is contrived

‘Lest I take those souls for granted

And miss an opportunity to feel connected

How many times have I breathed discontented?

How many days does my dog not get petted?

Comfort is all around us

It consumes us yet we refuse it

We reject its soft, airy, light, amorphous nature

We choose a hard, sharp, visually explicit creature

Rituals, a feather pillow, time alone

A warm face not just seen through the phone

Quiet moments residing in the background

Are the ones where peace is found

And keep the world spinning around

And around

And around