Waking up one morning
I felt the realisation this could be my last day on earth.
So I abandoned the injunctions in my head
screaming orders like a tyrant.
I ignored my clock,
the harsh master of daily reality,
and entered into a different time zone:
The present.
I lay in bed lazily,
sipping tea like it was medicine for my soul,
listening to the cat purring,
holding my youngest’s hand,
still warm from the safety of sleep.
I ate breakfast sheltered
from the world of conditions.
I walked with wonder in the woods
noticing the birds chirping,
my children chattering,
dogs’ tails wagging,
Strangers smiling.
My children climbed trees
like agile squirrels, their limbs
reaching for something higher –
my own limbs rooted into the earth like a tree.
All the while
winter sun slicing through trees
spilling onto the frosted grass
like the peace of heaven
gently calling me home…