vulnerable

From a distance,

this tiny blue ball,

shimmering in utter darkness,

holding its own 

in a sea of nothing/somethingness.

Captivated by our apparent solitude,

we yet live pressed close against one another,

and ease the pain

of that too dreadful reality.

Back to back,

we are watchful.

Shoulder to shoulder,

we are strong.

Breast to breast,

we are vulnerable.

May our living 

shake the everyday stuff of our lives

out of us

lest it tragically define who we are

and reduce us 

beyond recognition.

And may we be cast us upon the unknowing

that is our most terrible truth,

and so live each step,

each breath,

as though it is a wonder.

As those who choose to walk with courage

upon a spinning orb,

we dream.