an ekphrastic poem (inspired by shapes), in 8 parts
A.
a thick, dense perimeter, overlapping lines…
may you find the kind of shape where…
after
everything,
you feel free to seek that
necessary experience of
grounding. you are allowed
to name the need for a place
that feels steady…a place
where the ground feels
like the ground. may you start
to notice where the ground
feels like the ground.
return there as often
as you can.
B.
two very faint oval lines sit close together.
there is space between them in some places,
but then they meet again in other places.
there are shapes in this life where you find…
a little space
may remain between
intention and result. that
space can feel too small, too
imperfect, too unfinished.
it can also leave room for
what can be learned moving
through cycles, and these
lines grow stronger
with time
C.
a wide ring made of several loose passes that sit
at slightly different distances from the middle.
at times in life, you may begin
to feel the shape of how…
there are
moments when
you need more room than
you expected…and what if
needing that room did not
make you “too much”?
what if it was okay to
acknowledge how much it
matters to need and to have
a little more room to
breathe now?
D.
many thin lines overlap,
the center remains open…
there are shapes of things in life where…
no single part of
this carries the
whole form…and
that can feel
scattered. and at the
same time, the many
parts still gather
into a whole shape
that can hold
what matters.
E.
two uneven oval lines overlap,
meeting in some places
and leaving room in others.
at times in life, you find a shape where…
sometimes
what mattered most
may be the part that was hard
to understand, fully notice, or
know how to measure. depth
can be hard to show, but it
does not mean it is not there.
it can still be fully there,
fully real, in layers,
revealed with time.
F.
a second line
makes a crescent shape
as it makes its way back into
the rest of the circle
for perhaps, there are shapes in life where…
after everything,
you are free to let
what feels like love, support,
presence, matter to you…and even
when it is subtle at first, you
can let yourself notice the
difference. you can slowly but
surely let yourself consider,
perhaps, this is a rhythm that
grows with time.
G.
a rounded line gathers around an open center,
widening in a few places.
here is this life, you might encounter shapes where….
sometimes you
can become so good at making sure
everything worked that there was
almost no evidence of what it required
from you. being reliable costs a lot of
you, and the cost stays hidden because
the result comes out smooth. what it
took was real. the reliability is very
real too, and you are allowed to
acknowledge what this has required of
you. you are allowed to recognize the
human being behind it all. you are
allowed to be the human being
behind it all.
H.
around the circle, another line travels beside
the main line, becoming more noticeable
in an unexpected place…
at times, in life, you might
encounter a shape where…
a path
may look different
from the one that was
originally imagined. it may
lean, curve, or take longer
than expected. a changed
route can still carry a
meaningful
direction.
-Morgan Harper Nichols (MHN)
