Sway In and Out — Donna Hopkins

Dried Flowers on Mantle | Westwind Flowers, Gordonsville, Virginia

I go in and out, don’t you?
Into flow and gratitude,
and out of it again
Into grief and hopelessness,
and out of it again.
Into routine; cooking, walks, connection
And then into bed, the bath,
my head, my tears.

These days call for the ability to sway
Sway into reality, sway into empathy,
and back again.
Dip toes into fear, anxiety, awareness
And rest in creativity, distraction, comfort.

We go in and out, like tides
Creating our own slow rhythms
Finding the pulse of survival.

—Alix Klingenberg, Waves, from Quietly Wild