Born Again

How many times must I be born in just one lifetime?
There was the first time which was probably stressful
though I apparently didn't mind enough to remember it.

There were a few times in my youth when
my point of view was twisted into something new.

There were a few very dark births which felt more like death
when they were happening but later the light shone back and
I recognized the transition for what it was. New life.

There were the months my chest felt like it would either collapse or explode and I would either be born again or die trying.
I'm not dead yet.

But I'm on the verge of something once more.
And if I weren't so tired of being born again,
I'd be a little more excited about it.

The Affect of Laughter on the Variable Perception of the Passing of Time

Sometimes when I'm with certain people and we laugh a lot together
it seems as though time stands still and life will never end.

Other times when joy bursts from my lungs and squeezes out through my tear ducts
I am afraid time is all going too fast and
will be over before I'm ready.

I woke

I woke today.
The sun had woken before me.
My toes moved.
My hands moved.

My heart moved too--
with gratitude for
my body, my rest,
the rest of the day.