Fear and anxiety have been constant companions in my life–symptoms of what Dr. Tinnin, in his blogpost about infant surgery without anesthesia, calls chronic post traumatic stress. Until recent year, my body was a source of shame and danger; my body was frozen. I am finally finding comfort and peace in my own skin. This poem below titled “What Calls” came to me the other day as I realized that my work to relieve my post traumatic stress symptoms through meditation, affirmation, somatic bodywork and creative expression is paying off. I am heading for new landscapes.
What Calls
Castle Fear is folding,
turrets crumbling, crenellated
walls falling. The moat drained, Trust
gallops over and climbs the bank.
At the tower window, a damsel. Horse’s
hooves have called her to the opening.
Come, the empty saddle beckons. Ride
into the green expanse
of everywhere—the places you’ve
never allowed yourself.
Can she leave this fortress, its embattled rooms?
The castle floor gives way as her hands
let go of the sill, reach for reins.
©Wendy Patrice Williams