(summer) solstice.

the moon is high, the air is still.

solstice.

face to the ground, i weep tears to mother earth
beg her,
hold me.

the breeze picks up,
wraps around me-

a comfort, a place of peace
i feel at home here.

the world melts away
all that is left is here
in the silence, the stillness
the roar of the earth
all that matters here
is green and brown
and alive.

the whisper of her gentle voice
the rustle of leaves on branches of her trees
is a comforting voice
centering me, calling me back home

a rumble of thunder in the distance
then closer
i can only pray for rain

my lips are parched and so
my prayers tumble out silent
but fervent, still

i can feel the prickle of electricity
the humidity of this summer night
broken in half by the familiar gust of wind
that rushes in before the rain
to announce his arrival

he is slow at first
a few drops at a time
so as not to send me running, scared
the cool water is a welcome relief from the tight press
of the summer night heat
i exhale and in so doing realize
i had been holding my breath tight in my lungs

i let out my breath and feel relieved
i draw a breath in, reveling in the sharp, cool bite
of the rain soaked air

the sky opens, finally
rain pours over the earth, over me
covers me, touches pieces of sky to me
wraps me in an embrace
that brings heaven down to me
covers like a curtain
pulling me in to a sacred sanctuary
closing the world out behind me,
letting me hid

i let the divine move me
move in me
stir and dredge up things inside of me
heart aching, soul breaking
i sob until my tears have dried up
my chest can heave not one more time
i lay prostrate on the ground

still.

the rain slows, stops
a breeze blows the clouds aside -
i realize a new morning has dawned,
the sun has crested the horizon

a glimmer of light falls -
pools on the ground around me
lingers on me
warms me through, dries me
recharges me

the silence gives way to
the sounds of the woods
the music of the earth
my heart lifts

soon, again, it will fly.