174. Relaxed (Myshkin, 2021) · free verse

Words, please come out! I am tired of knowing, Holding tension, Looking smart, Not looking dumb, Earning respect from whom? Live liberty, Steal moments, Slow flow, Speed of grass growing, Savor. Depth revealed, Unshakeable connection To spirit, To life, Screams of passion. Beyond the guilt, art is what arises Through me, Not always of me, I have left the boundary, Stepped outside, Where sober people Rarely go. But artists always. The crazy ones, The misfits, Strange souls selling surrender Nothing to protect, No defending, No resisting, “I gave away my last dollar, Does anyone have a twenty For my phone bill?” Fine, Laugh at the mad mystic, You with the big house, With Friday night plans, A full schedule, And a respectable façade. But Something In you Fears him, Envies him, The weightlessness You can taste, His ease And elegance Around pain That crushes you. Looking glass, I am fascinated, Leaning in, Falling in, Becoming mad myself, Laughing freely, Friends with God, Unassailable spacious skies.