There is a light somewhere that flickers before it bursts into flame. Wildfire. It consumes and it hurts worse than darkness. You walk half a mile seeking escape, but the voices follow. Nagging. Relentless. You lay down and breathe in and out. In and out. ‘Listen to the sound of your breathing,’ she says. ‘Throw everything else away. Focus on mindfulness.’ ‘Isn’t that redundant?’ you think. But that’s a thought about words again, isn’t it? And you need to throw that away. At least right now, in this slow, short hour. In this quiet room full of strangers each carrying their own burden. Breathe in. Breathe out. Your body is a tight ball, your mind unraveling. Everything is a fight and you figure, this time, winning is in losing. Breathe in, twist this way. Stretch out. Ease. Ease. Ease. You feel the warm floor beneath you, the sharpness of your elbows against your ribs, the feel of your tongue against the roof of your mouth. It’s salty. How strange. Twist this way, grow long like so. Close your eyes. Reach out, expand. You will win only if you keep up the fight. Open your eyes. The darkness will not hurt this time.
Stress Free Gentle Flow, 10/8/17 for the prompt.
