In the stillness of winter
before the turning point comes
you hope this would be the last time
The last wrong, the last fight

But the light darkens, then brightens again
not waiting for you
And you reach for it
because you want to grow too

Maybe this is how flowers live
a tree, a grass
Leave the safety and warmth of the soil
reach toward the sky
See this luminous world for the first time
the freshness and sweetness of air
the softness of rain
Understand with shock
the fear of thunder, hail, frost
the hot days that never end

Oh, just sigh
like the moon, the stars
like the neverending cascade of beauty
that is day and night

The whole of the world can be felt
from the root of a single flower

The turning point comes
winding you around
as easy as sliding around a corner
as hard as growing a new skin

I remember the stillness of winter
the electric blue of the soil
Then movement comes, and its radiance gives life
The river comes, gently, swiftly
I am carried in the currents

I would like to think
everything was transformed
and nothing was lost

We wind around each other
Flying through existence
Like spiritual nomads
Like a double helix

Creators and destroyers all have their purpose
The darkness of one generation is benign knowledge to another
Left and right are just long-lost brothers
Enemies and friends both show the way
The good and the bad should both know
Children are raised by all, just the same
The way of the world has its own wisdom
And we all have our roles to play

The future is already set
yet it’s still a delight
to wind our way through the wild garden

By Monica Chen