Prelude
Vice-like headache
Shoulder knot
Crick in the neck
Stomach churn
Back spasm
Knee twinges
Wobbly ankles
Warm-ups
1
An invisible strand of silk
attached to the crown of my head
magically lifts me toward Heaven.
2
That thread plucks up my sternum,
deepens my breaths, hollows my chest.
Shoulder blades melt down my spine.
3
My body’s steering wheel, my waist,
relaxes. The small of my back
hangs down as I yield to the Earth.
4
Like twisting a hula-hoop, hips
swivel right, swivel left, front and back.
My tight jaw remembers a smile.
5
Hands on knees, mindful breathing,
I draw small circles with my knees,
clockwise, counterclockwise, a dance.
6
More small circles with my ankle,
heel lifted, toe only touching,
joined hands twirling my wrists.
7
Squirrels leap
Children play
Tennis rackets thwack
Leaf blowers thrum
All pass through my mind, calling back
my intent. Stillness in motion.
Coda
Relax my neck
Lower my shoulders
Elbows down
Sag my back
Swivel my hips
Bend my knees
Sink my feet
Hands hang loose
like parentheses
Like a pogo stick,
my bubbling well
reaches toward Heaven, bounces up
through my feet, through Mother Earth.
