hard things making you alive

I’ve followed my heart these many years
down a brave path that scared me alive
and grown a little worn over time by the climb,
a trek that turned menacing steep and squeezy
and I can only put my hands up
and pull sometimes,
my courage growing threadbare
along these narrow ledges.

And then, suddenly,
comes this wild wind swooping,
tossing me high into a clearing,
my heart flopping giddy with surprise
and taking on hope
like a ship sinking fast
in a sea of sweet mercy.

Because this place feels safe
in a way I’ve been hungry to feel
and my feet love the solid of the
grassy ground beneath.

And I can barely whisper this to you,
full up with “can this be real?
and I don’t really know
if it’s true,
if I can stay
and so hard to wait and see.

It may be only the stir of a breeze
just a temporary gentling of this rocky climb
or maybe just a generous listening rock,
a place to catch my breath more deeply
and hear what the wind may sing.

But fresh fire has lit the pilot light
on some dreams that got broken along the way
and there’s a new stirring of windchimes
somewhere in my heart
like the sound of a long forgotten friend
who I remember instantly
by hearing her voice
and it feels like going home
to somewhere I’d forgotten.