Beginnings During Endings

Closed into myself
Closed into my shell
Aching to be open
Aching when I open

Climbing and
falling and
climbing again

Expanding and
deflating and
expanding again

Embracing, rejecting
Seeking, retreating

Through it all,
making a home within myself.

Photo by Dulcey Lima.

This poem was originally written on July 10, 2022. It’s dedicated to Kelly Overstreet and Laura Kelly.