Letting Go

"... Step off slowly into the air...."

Letting Go

Take a deep breath as you go
Crossing the valley on a tightrope
The valley widens and
The rope pulls tight
Wobbling, you rebalance
Another step - 

Take another deep breath 
And get to the middle
The part with the net
(The end was never the goal)
Find the net below
Step off slowly into the air
No rope beneath your foot 

Breathe again
Don't struggle as you fall
You must be graceful
You must be grace falling
Arc your arm out like a ballerina
For the first rope you pass
Forget the sweat dripping down
 
Twist between the maze of ropes
Over a net, over the airiness
This is athletic, gut-wrenching
Wrap yourself in the safety of 
One rope, only to let go
Again and again

There is no art in holding on
There is no flight in holding on
There is no grace in holding on.
Just letting go, that abrupt fall
Again and again

Letting go is all that exists 
The surge of air in your lungs
The fear prickling at your tongue
No shouting, continue the routine
Keep spinning, arching, diving clear
Let go between the ropes
Feel yourself fall.

Fall.
Grab, move, spin, shift, 
Reach -
Fall.

You spend more time 
Suspended in the air
Than touching ropes.
Juggle yourself, be grace 
Twisting, turning, be athletic
Never shout, never look down
But feel it to your core
The letting go.  

Sit with your feelings, 
Repeats our new mantra. 
Embrace the discomfort, 
Feel your anxiety.

But you can’t sit, 
Because you’re in the air, 
Turning, grabbing, reaching,
Letting go, facing your anxieties,
And… falling, always falling.

©2024  @StaceyBattlestheWorld