Some days, my head and heart are tired
They’ve seen and felt enough
Colors ping off my retinas with loud cymbal crashes
People, too sharp and out of focus, clamor into my vista
Sounds are the last flare lit on a pitch black night
Blazingly bright like the sun
Settling down to a soft glow as the last embers burn out
Breathe in
Breathe out
Press tightly to the temple
Now begins a silence of sight
Retreat into the calm waters of the mind’s lagoon beckons me
I follow the tug to be still
A numbing exhaustion settles in the void of cues
Gently, a current passes through the reeds
Things can be felt without being known
No bombardments
The pleasure of blankness, a comfort
Rest
Float
Suspend animation
I become slumber-stilled, swaying with the flow of crests and swells
After a time, movement in the depths below stirs me
The almost invisible jostling continues, until awareness returns
Focus can be attained without repercussions
The water is receding
Silence has followed me out of the deep, but blindness has not
A dimmer turns up the volume and the low hum is acceptable
A verdant forest appears, with a well worn and strangely familiar path guiding my steps
The small details of my trail provide many facets for my new eyes to study
Have I been here before?
Could that blade of grass really be this green?
How many centuries old is this live oak?
Do any creatures survive on the existence of this Spanish moss?
Into a clearing the soft pine needle covered track leads me
A small door is free-standing in the center; closed, but not locked
Where does this lead?
Do I cross over the unknown threshold?
Hesitation makes the substance of the door appear to become transparent
The particles are slowly losing their hold on one another
I must choose!
Stay in the peaceful solitude and–only now–what looks to be isolated terrain
Or, take a risk to see what lies beyond
Who lies beyond
Another moment longer and the choice will be made for me
Gathering my courage, I grasp the rounded handle before it disintegrates
It is not cold, as I expected
It is warm and hums with life
Turning the knob slowly, I feel the beat of a faint drum in my fingertips
Ba dum… Ba dum… Ba dum
When the door creaks as I push it open, I realize it is not a drum
My heart is beating straight into the core of the door frame
At the halfway point, the doorway is widening and a figure is barely visible in the hazy light spilling forth from an unknown source
At my entry into its space, it turns to see what or who has disturbed it
Who is turning to greet me?
I am so anxious to see
Do I know this person?
I finally see…
Me
“Hello, friend. I’m so glad you decided to join me. Welcome to your life. I hope you enjoy it.”
I am scared, but I welcome me into a warm embrace
Perhaps, this could be good