Appreciate (poem published in Talking Leaves)
by Judy Seicho Fleischman
I.
To appreciate this meal
before these eyes
close in on themselves
and see nothing
in all its fullness.
Savoring a mushroom,
feeling its succulent flesh
caressing my own
juicy
spicy
musky
all of me
tasting all of it.
Something shifting
in that flow
belly full
breath finding beat
tapping out
the pulse of being
knowing it has
always been
this simple
always been
this gorgeous
always
been
enough.
II.
To appreciate the beauty
of this life as it passes
before my eyes.
To notice the efforts
of everyone who made this meal.
To know this heart can open
to all the joy,
all the sorrow,
and everything in between.
It comes to me in waves now,
belly full,
chest no longer so tight,
loosening its grasp
on what it cannot control.
Never could.
Seeing all this beauty
in the simplest forms.
What is there to want
anymore?
Tears flow
unimpeded.
This emptiness is so full.
Nothing else seems to matter.
This dying
is beyond me.
So many layers releasing.
With all the sound in this place,
still I hear the breathless heartbeat
carrying air itself
on the wings of earthly sensation.
How little I have seen
until now.
I can't go back
to what no longer exists.
Only this
falling
into
belly beat
heart harmony
as simple as
mmmm . . .
aaahhh . . .
spacetime crescendo
right here
right now.
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