Embrace

By

Radiance Angelina Petro

 

 

We cannot know

what we do not know

until we know it, and once

we do, we know what we didn’t

know before.  And that

 

is good information for those times

when we’re talking with someone

who doesn’t know what they don’t know.

 

Compassion works

because no one knows exactly

the pain of another, but

we do know pain when

we see it, and that

should be enough

to meet one another

and embrace.

 

Empathy works

because no one truly

understands themselves

or the other, and so

when we catch a glimpse

 

 

of the synergistic universe

in the eyes of another,

that should be enough

to meet one another half-way,

and embrace.

 

We can all know, however,

whether we remember it or not,

that breathing helps

this liminal thing called living

to continue, and that

there is enough air for everyone,

and all breaths embrace

every other breath,

so we may as well embrace

in the same, weaving way.

 

We can also know our hearts

beat whether we think about it

or not, and everyone’s heart

beats together whether we like it

or not, and that one rhythm

creates

 

an earth-knowing,

a season-knowing,

a sky-knowing,

a love-knowing

unity.

 

And so, we may as well

embrace, and this time, why not

spin that embrace into a dance

that none of us really knows

how to dance?

 

Dance the dance

of the unknown together,

knowing the one thing

we all want to forget:

 

the dance will end.

And that particular bit

of perhaps difficult knowing

should be enough

to make us embrace,

and hold on for dear life.