inhale, exhale
and take a moment to imagine
you have followed a forest trail down to
a river
where the banks hold the weight of past centuries,
and yet also, the generous shade of the enduring trees
all bending together to create room to breathe.
time slows down here
and for a moment you finally feel:
you don’t have to hurry anymore.
and even when you feel this distinct gap between you and the water below,
you are still free to be connected here.
yes, you are still free to be connected here…
for you are both shaped by the same gravity of everything,
and you are both learning to move through it all.
notice when the surface water appears restless.
notice when the pull beneath appears constant.
notice when you feel this tension within you, too.
notice how both ways of being here can be true.
notice when the water sings,
“all is passing. notice how all is passing.”
and even as the hours start to rush faster for you,
you are still free to carry the river’s rhythm with you.
for yes, you are free…
free to hold on
to any little part of this rhythm that helps you breathe:
“even here, I am steady and I am safe
to envision forest trails
that lead to the kind of place
where a river keeps flowing,
amid all the unknowing,
and I can arrive, with it all, and belong.”
–
I wrote this piece while thinking about a video game concept where the character you’re playing enters a landscape. Before there are quests, tasks, or goals, the character simply has space to roam and explore. I started wondering what it might feel like if a voiceover or poem played as the character moved into that environment.
It began as just a concept, but as I wrote, I realized something similar happens in real life. We often find ourselves stepping into situations where it feels like we have to play a role. For me, that sense of being “on” or having to perform rarely feels calm. Instead, it can feel draining, tied to responsibilities or expectations. Even when we are grateful for the roles we have, it can still be difficult to find space to just be and belong as we are.
With this poem, I wanted to create a different feeling: becoming a character who doesn’t need to perform, who can simply sit by the river, breathe, and exist without pressure. I wanted to show that even if it’s just for a moment, it matters. Even if the space to just be and belong at first only exist as an half-conceptualized image or idea in our minds, the fact that we took time to even imagine is significant all on its own and it’s something we can build upon.
We all know what it means to carry roles and these roles bring responsibilities and are a part of who we are, but they don’t define the whole of who we are. And it makes a difference when we have spaces where we get to ask: what does it look like to just belong, as we are? What are the challenges that come with trying to create that space? How can we create rhythms that acknowledge both the tensions and need to just be?
I don’t have a clear answer for what that looks like for every single scenario, but I hope I at least touched on this in this short poem. May we continue to create spaces where we feel free simply to arrive, to belong, and to be.
Thanks for listening / reading! – Morgan Harper Nichols
(This piece has been cross-posted on my Substack. You check it out here!)
