A Man Who Left.......................................................................................Fiona Monahan

Release

I want to soften into myself. To feel my breath pour into every crevice, every ridge and dip and fold and pocket. Like wind blowing across the mountains, grazing the tops of your shoulders And making the pines shudder.

I want to feel my tongue resting on the floor of my mouth, My lips drooping at the corners, My eyebrows unfurrowing, My belly expanding back into its original form, The knot in my sternum unraveling.

I want to be able to sink into my back and know all of its terrain, Leaving a deep, weathered imprint like you would on your favorite couch.

I want to let my fingers go limp and let my knees fold in, Draping myself over my bones And just staying that way for a while.

I could dip into my body And let the tension drip down the sides of my skin. I could breathe out to even my little pinky toes And filled the spaces in between with a warm forgiveness. And then I could finally live in the home That my body built for me so long ago, And give it the occupancy it’s been waiting for.

-Claire Brown

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