Assignment

The duty
to write
has chosen you.

It wakes you at night,
with all those things unsaid.

But when allowed to come out,
it rises as an incantation
and the words adorn you like a charm.

You've been tasked to:
Listen-reach beyond all sound and hear what hasn't been uttered.
Observe-touch every corner with your eyes and the unseen will reveal itself.
Feel-drop into that abyss like tears and expand out of the darkness.

You were appointed to tell the truth-it is frightening, exciting, and
tragic; like forbidden lovers whispering in the dark, intensity grabbing at them breathlessly.

Do not waiver at your task,
but follow the path
with a pen in hand-
it is how you conjure, and create a way
when the familiar and facts fade.

And though it may tire you
to be a conduit--
your head bowed,
over the iridescent glow of a computer screen
late into the night--

it will happen

that as your hands hover over the keyboard
and your fingertips press down,
what was hidden
will find you.

Quietly unveiling itself,
like a silhouette
summoned by the moonlight.

*Thank you to the donors for contributing to the Belize Emergency Relief Fund and helping us feed families in need. Love and light to you all *