Forever Grateful with a Sigh

Forever Grateful with a Sigh

This day after so much of giving thanks
by way of feasting and festivities,
I’d like to tuck in
and enjoy the darker than usual mornings
and the late rises of the morning sun.
I’d like to deep tissue my way into a full-toned
resonance of gratitude that touches upon
the losses and the aches as well as
the ooohs and ahhhs.
I’d like to hold space for what triggers
a bit of anger, a knot of hurt,
a kink of compassion
gnarled up by how tragically vicious
and violent the world can be.
Today, I’m in for a little nuanced probing,
that is still joyfully startled to be awake
in such a splendorous place,
still thrilled by the savory that
nourishes the body and the soul,
still amazed that I am still here.
But today, I knead a moment below the surface
and touch upon the perplexity of being human.
Today I need a moment to hold space
for what is hard to hold,
hard to defend, hard to explain.
I feel the invisible fingers finding places
I didn’t know were kinked and hardened.
In this full-bodied afterglow of giving thanks
with so much to be thankful for
I allow in an exploration of the plaintive
and let it work its way through me
and let it release me in its onslaught of sighs—
as I learn to let it be.
And after all the discovering of all the hidden touchpoints,
I am STILL forever grateful—
Forever grateful with a sigh.