My one small life is formed
from more than a hundred million breaths.
In, out
I am still breathing.
Even as I count the only breath
is now.
This heart that is
my only heart pulses
without a break thousands of times a day
whether I am grateful or not.
Thank you heart.
Thank you breath.
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My one small life is formed
from more than a hundred million breaths.
In, out
I am still breathing.
Even as I count the only breath
is now.
This heart that is
my only heart pulses
without a break thousands of times a day
whether I am grateful or not.
Thank you heart.
Thank you breath.
Songbirds ecstatic,
clouds swirl like feathers.
Multiplying cell by cell
I dissolve.
Gratitude is nothing,
a breath nothing you can keep.
Neither a heartbeat.
Neither this moment, formless,
more powerful than all
our lives. In one
fleeting sigh a simple feeling
washes through me.
Hello Love,
I recognize your face.
By Janet Aalfs
Janet Aalfs is the poet laureate of Northampton, MA (2003-2005) and the director/ head instructor of Valley Women’s Martial Arts, Inc. She pays attention to her breath in everything she does.
