Gifting the Air
By
Jennifer Angelina Petro
Everyone knows
We carry air in our bodies,
We know, and occasionally,
Sense it flowing through us,
How it enlivens us
When we focus it into our every cell.
And it does so without effort,
Without being invasive,
Without expecting anything
In return.
Today, let’s try this:
Let’s send out our every word
Upon, within, the air
As gifts—touch the air
With kind words, caress
The evening air with reminiscences
On front porches and strolls
Through the neighborhoods,
Fill the morning air
With prayers and Broadway tunes,
Inspire the night air with dreams
And comforting words of reassurance—knowing
We do all these things
By the power of the air.
We all know what happens
When it lifts from us
One last time and searches out
A newborn swallowing
Its first bubble of outside life.
Let us return the grace—
Let us gift the air with words,
And thoughts that dance
In its heart, let us gift the air
With songs that create joy
In the movements of the wind,
Let us fill our every breath
With mercy, compassion,
And a radical empathy
That unfolds across the world
Into other lands, other lungs, other hearts,
Other minds—let us gift the air
With praise.
All donations go to medical bills and groceries. Thank you so much. <3
