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Stillness

A Paragraph Poem

By Ariel CurryPublished about a year ago 6 min read
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girl walking in the wood

She walks in the shadows of the forest. Leaves, pine needles, and twigs crunching under her feet. She fears nothing here. She is the most powerful being in the forest. Crystals and coins clink in her pockets, echoing throughout the forest like dull church bells with every step.

tree trunk blocking the girl

The forest bows to her for it knows her well. She bows in return as she walks under a large fallen log. All is balance here. The normal sounds of the forest still with baited breath. The air shimmers around her.

forest portal

She raises a hand and vines part, for she is in control of all elements. A gentle arch of branches beckon. Towering cliffs of moss-covered rock cling to either side, framing the archway. A subtle mist of water wafts to her from the other side.

earth's embrace

She pauses, breathing the soft musky scent of pine and wet earth. The cycles of life, death, and renewal entwine within the subtle layers of the scent. All her stress and doubts slither into the Earth. Earth's natural rhythmic vibrations pulse through her feet. Warmth spreads throughout her body as a gentle breeze tickles her skin like a warm loving embrace.

animals following girl through the forest portal

A procession of animals follow behind her as she steps through the archway. Mizzling rain falls over her. Soft serenity seeps into her, purifying her essence. Her senses renewed and revitalized for what lays beyond.

grass caressing the girl's legs

Her calves are caressed by velvet grasses. Her feet walk along the smooth silken path. She glides her fingers across the flora, hearing their songs of leisure and pleasure. The fauna prance and frolics around her.

girl roaming through moonlit meadow

She roams into a gentle meadow with grasses swaying in the zephyr. She smiles with the sliver moon. Soft rays of moonlight brighten the glade revealing a loch. The light glistening across the still surface. She breathes in the scent of fresh water and mineral deposits.

girl dancing with fairy lights around her in the meadow

Spirits drift and dance above the loch. They wave for her to join as they phase in and out of existence like they’re connecting dimensions through dance. As she pirouettes and skips in concentric circles across the meadow, they enlighten her in ancient magics. Warning her that to be silent is no longer the path. To stay silent is to die as they did: hunted, alone, afraid, and betrayed. The answers lie in stillness. 

moon with the cosmos

She stops dancing and lays in the grass. The rains have stopped. Everything is covered with sparkling dew. She stares at the night sky for a long while. The gentle breeze plays with her hair. The night sky seems to stay still and move in unison. Wisp-like clouds waft across the sky, keeping their boundaries as they mold into shapes. Stars twinkle as they continue their planetary movements. Moonbeams splash color across the clouds.

girl sitting in meadow with the moon, meditating

She sits up, a gentle look on her face. She strokes greenery around her, absently. Her glazed eyes distant with meditating thoughts. The dancing spirits dissipate, leaving her alone in the quiet meadow. Shadows deepen around across the glade.

a young woman with windblown hair and wisps of water around her

Stillness. The word resounds in waves within her mind like ripples on a pond. What does that mean to her? She breathes in the gentle scents of dew and daisies. Serenity of self. To know that every version of her is okay to be. Every piece of experience, both good and bad, are just that, experiences. From their knowledge she creates her own to be. To be — The essence of who she was, is, and yet — knowing she is valid just as she is in each time and place.

the girl walking away in the twilight shadows

She stands, stretching towards the night sky. The shadows lengthen and deepen further around her. She ambles through the velvet grasses. Her hands delicately touching the tips of the grass as she walks. The path is covered in a dewey fog from the waterfall mist. The ground is cool against her bare feet.

a large deer watches over the girl as she passes back through the branch and rock archway

The animals converge behind her and follow like a wedding train. She pauses at the forest archway. She glances back not wanting to leave. Here she feels so sure of herself. She knows once she rejoins her reality everything will get muddled. One of the fawns nudges her through the archway. The fawn steps through as well and skitter around her disappearing into the forest. The gloom of twilight deepens to night.

black and white close-up of her as she walks back through the forest towards her daily life

Pine needles and underbrush crunch underneath her feet. Shadows dance about her hiding bits of the forest. The forest looks like it’s shifting and moving with her. The leaves rustle in the hollow whistling breeze. She stops with a small frown on her face. She is sad that she must leave this quiet place. This place….both dangerous and safe, accepts her unconditionally. How different from the world she is to return to.

the girl along a cobbled street in the night rain, lights on in the houses she passes

She continues down the forest path covered in shifting shadows of darkness. The only light being fireflies and will-o-wisps. The ground becomes barren as she leaves the forest, giving way to cement and pavement. The rain drizzles down again filling rain gutters. The dilapidating buildings slowly become well-kept homes.

A sighing girl with dirt and raindrops across her face

Here beliefs abound and true connections are sought but hardly ever found. She sighs knowing she must remain in stillness but not knowing how in this world of hustle and bustle. She knows her path is a hard one for this world doesn’t accept those that don’t fit their standards. It’s intolerant and hateful.

a sparsely furnished tiny apartment in a city

Differences define and categorize all beings into boxes. They divide us to keep us at each other’s throats. All are weary of this world but don’t know how to fix it. Her face is grim as she opens the door to her tiny apartment in this large noisy city. Dull grey light shines through the windows revealing her sparse furniture and a small half-dead potted plant. That’s how I feel, she thinks.

girl sits at a coffee table with tarot cards all over searching for answers

She trudges over to her cabinet and takes out her small deck of tarot cards. She shuffles them over and over until it feels right to stop. She pulls a card and lays it on her coffee table. Her head discombobulated in knowing what stillness means but not knowing how to do that in this distracted world.

tarot cards swirling around a cup of coffee to tell a story

Each card weaves a part of the answer to her. She is part of the solution to the distraction. True connection can only be found when stillness is both within and without. One must know one’s own feelings and able to express them.

the girl waits at a door welcoming others to guide them to stillness

Listen to the other side with an open mind and heart. Truly sharing space and time with others in that moment. True state of being. Trauma cannot win if there is true connection and stillness. She is herself. She is them. She helps guide those on this weary path called life.

social commentarysad poetrynature poetryinspirationalart
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About the Creator

Ariel Curry

Ariel Curry is a freelance dark fantasy, romance, and science-fiction Writer. She has a BFA in Creative Writing and is currently working on her MFA.

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