Trembling Half-Moon
Half-Moon
Alone in the bedroom or at the back of the large
yoga class, against the wall or balanced alone
in the shaking steadiness of this phase of the moon,
I reach past the compressed sadnesses of one
broken story or another, my arms, my legs
spanning height and width, a new dream following
the shining heart, lifted and leading. Past the night
of staccato sleep, past the twisted arcs
of wrong-headed notions holding too tight
to wrong directions. Past blindnesses,
which are only the absence of reflected light.
This is where I arrive, am arriving, staying alive
in this trembling half-moon, this frightened
and ready-to-fall half-moon, this tenuous
and beautiful half-moon. Can’t you see
me rise over the cusp of my old life,
no matter what darkness, ready to shine?
This poem steals a line — “Hold to the center” — from the Tao te Ching. Take any spiritual or poetry text that speaks to you soul, turn to a line that jumps out at you with meaning, and start writing!
Beginning a writing practice? Getting started, groundrules to free you, and podcasts of other writing prompts. Visit Caryn’s Write From Your Life page (https://carynmirriamgoldberg.wordpress.com/write-from-your-life/)
Beautiful! Thank you, Caryn!