From Your Body

a poem about what it's trying to tell you

From Your Body

It doesn’t have to be complicated. 
Take a deep breath and let it out. 
Scan and notice every inch. Feel the ache, 
the twinge, the pinch, the throb. Don’t say, 
I’m fine. Or it’s nothing. It’s something. 
This is what I’m trying to tell you. 

Reach towards the noble sky, stretch 
fingers high. You won’t catch the pain, 
but try. Hang heavy towards the cells of earth, 
let sap circulate whatever it is you don’t want 
to let go of, then shake it in your teeth like 
a wet dog, arch like a lithe cat after a long nap. 

Take the nap.
Lay hands on yourself. Softly touch the soles 
of your feet. Gently rub circles over your belly, 
every inch of it. Lay a warm palm on the connection 
you once shared with mother, grandmother, all those 
baubled eggs, healing cells, left behind for a reason. 

Love most the places you try to hide. 
If I were to make you feel all the hurt in the world, 
all the sadness, you would burst into flames.
I’m trying to tell you something about love.
Not to cause you pain but to remind you to listen 
to the soul you’re carrying around without much thought.

---

I’ve been dealing with a persistent case of shingles for the past month which I believe is a culmination of unprocessed grief and stress, and while I don’t wish this illness on anyone, it has taught me some valuable lessons about my body and the healing process.

Managing pain and relinquishing a sense of control, all while summoning patience, have been at the forefront of this teaching. Never before has the notion of taking one day at a time felt more essential. I have good days and bad days and days I want to forget. My body offers me messages I sometimes want to ignore--such as, the pain is worse when I eat sugar or too many carbohydrates, the pain is worse if I don’t stretch and get my blood circulating into the surrounding muscles and nerves. The pain is worse if I get too caught up in the mind’s desire to constantly remind me that I’m in pain!

Meditation, calm, and lot’s of sleep/rest are what my body needs and I’ve been trying my best to honor that. I guess the biggest lesson is that we all need to listen closely and carefully to what our bodies are trying to tell us. To listen early on to the whispers before they become screams, and to honor those messages with self-care.

Wishing you all ease and peace this week.

With Gratitude,