I feel like a freshly pruned tree That had been long forgotten Rotting and becoming brittle Now I am exposed and vulnerable My freshly trimmed limbs Thirst for sustenance Curiously they inquire about As if reborn with a clear mind Yet I am distinctly aware of My leaning trunk My asymmetrical frame My superficial roots I cannot forget what has led me here Many dark days, hiding In the shade of others Going unnoticed - how I wanted it. But somebody pruned me Somebody pruned the ones around me Now I am exposed - Light and rain soak into my timid being I shiver in frightened ecstasy Part of the world once more My inadequacies on a God-given pedestal. Even if I could remain in the shade Until I morph into Nourishment for new life I do not know how long this would take And perhaps I would make better nourishment Once decomposed in the earth If I lived my life in the sun. Perhaps there comes a day When I am the only one standing And I alone am The only testament to God’s creation. (02/22/21)
Gratitudes
It was February of 2021 when I went to my first Krav Maga class. It completely changed my life. On a long distance phone call, I had mentioned to a friend how defenseless I felt as a woman. I had a bad habit of being attracted to bad situations and eventually it caught up to me. Within seconds he sent me a link to a local gym, even though he was halfway across the world. I was in amazement of his tech-savviness first and foremost, and also at how perfect an opportunity it seemed to be. The gym was just reopening after a wave of COVID-19. I soon learned that Krav Maga is a boxing based self-defense system for people of all shapes and sizes. It has a very realistic perspective in street fighting and can be customized to the individual. “Survive,” is essentially the motto. The gym became a wonderland of empowerment and inspiration. Even though the focus is on physical training, the lessons learned apply to all aspects of life. I am eternally grateful for places such as this that breath new life into the fallen and provide sustenance for the mighty. Their consistency and service (for it is generally not a lucrative business) are truly life saving.