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<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Surprises<\/p>\n
By<\/p>\n
Jennifer Angelina Petro<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
They are everywhere.<\/p>\n
Every moment, every<\/p>\n
Single thing in your life–<\/p>\n
And ever it shall be so–<\/p>\n
Is a surprise.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The turkey buzzard gliding, like<\/p>\n
A black cloak loose in the sky,<\/p>\n
The letter from England amidst the circulars,<\/p>\n
The cardinals tangling and untangling<\/p>\n
In the winterberry bush,<\/p>\n
The first cabbage butterfly of spring,<\/p>\n
This breath, this step, this ability<\/p>\n
Of your heart to beat without you<\/p>\n
Even thinking about it,<\/p>\n
The ship of sleep arriving<\/p>\n
At the harbor of your consciousness,<\/p>\n
The frog at the wheel, tipping his hat<\/p>\n
As you climb aboard, the waking up<\/p>\n
In your bed, in your room, in your body,<\/p>\n
The channa masala, the mango lassi,<\/p>\n
The crunch of the toast in the morning,<\/p>\n
The surprise you are and the gifts you give—<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
You get the idea.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And yes, there are unpleasant surprises.<\/p>\n
We know this and yet we continue walking–<\/p>\n
Through the graveyard, flowers in hand,<\/p>\n
Into the kitchen where the difficult conversation awaits,<\/p>\n
Into the hospital room where a loved-one fades,<\/p>\n
Through waking up with a fever,<\/p>\n
Through the snow storm in April,<\/p>\n
Through the changing of the tire<\/p>\n
On your way to the concert\u2014<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
This certainty of a lifetime of surprise<\/p>\n
Can be disconcerting, along with<\/p>\n
The uncertainty of the surprise<\/p>\n
Of what happens when your last breath<\/p>\n
Joins the spirits at your bedside;<\/p>\n
And yet, we keep moving, and sometimes<\/p>\n
We curl up and rest, and other times<\/p>\n
We simply stand where we are\u2014afraid to move–<\/p>\n
Eventually, we will take another step,<\/p>\n
And the road will bloom, and the fear<\/p>\n
May turn into wonder, and the living awake,<\/p>\n
And the frog turning the wheel and shouting:<\/p>\n
\u201cHoist the anchor! Make sail!\u00a0 The wind is at our backs,<\/p>\n
The horizon is calling: \u201cTry and catch me, if you can.\u201d<\/p>\n
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