The In Breath

The in breath

And the out

Pulling in

And pushing away

Arriving

And leaving again

Getting here is running in to water

Cold shock of wet face hands and feet

Breath stuck up in the lungs

Then a releasing, the thrill of rejuvenation

and the peace of the open sky

Just floating

And then the slow swim back to shore

The family there on the dock, getting larger

Anticipating the onslaught of attention

Breaking through my watery skin

Arriving into this place we call Vermont

Is a long and slow process

Opening to its paces

Its people

And who we become here

In our bags we bring bathing suits

And boots with last years mud

We bring high expectations

And shift ourselves to the new patterns

The play of the weather

and the way the day unfolds around it

On and off go the rain jackets

Somewhere in the middle is a pause

The breath neither in nor out

It feels like we live here, have always and will always

Live in tune with the endless hymn

That the trees, the water and the wind sing together

The sky is full of rushing clouds

But we are standing still

On the empty road, the open field

The lake, still as glass

Leaving is just as gradual but plays more abrupt

We avoid the calendar and refuse counting days

Until they are so few that our blinders stop working

Just two full days left

And by then the sadness is undeniable

And parts of us are all ready gone

Already traveling across the wide country we call our own

Landing in the dry desert city

we call our home

But until then we savor every rain drop

Every whistling breeze

Wishing we could take one last walk

Through waist high grass

The dark pine forest inviting, dripping

And the last cries of the loon

The good bye that knows us

And misses us

Now I take all this home

Pack it carefully in my heart

To carry with me wherever I walk

And unpack neatly folded words