Reaching for the Sun – A Poem

Two years ago,

there was only

darkness. My body

had rebelled against

me, shifting its

shape into something

new and, at

the time, utterly

terrifying. It was

the unknown of

how my life

would become that

I found most

frightening of all.

I hid inside

my hovel of

an apartment, the

forest growing ever

closer, the trees

growing larger by

the day. In

the space of

a couple of

weeks, I could

smell only the

trees and soil.

I gave up

and lay down

on the forest

floor, letting the

earth overtake me.

In a matter

of moments, there

was only darkness,

sweet, blissful and

cool. I relaxed

to the inevitable,

what my life

was now. Slowly,

though, something started

to happen. There

was a tingling

sensation that started

in my legs

and began to

work its way

up my body.

I felt something

in my skin

escape my body

and it began

to twist and

turn into the

soil. I could

hear it whispering

as it found

its way. I

began to see

light, finding its

way through chinks

and holes in

the dirt. The light

was brighter than

the darkness and

began to chase

away the shadows.

As I watched,

the holes became

wider as if

the ground were

moving. I realized,

when I felt

the pull on

my legs from

whatever had found its

way into the dirt,

that I was

the one in

movement, rising toward

the surface. In

an instant, I

broke free, staring

at the sun

and taking in

my first breath

of real air.

I marvelled at

Its beauty, at

the warmth and

heat of the

sun, how nourishing

it was after

so long in

the shadowy dark.

I looked down

at my feet

and realized what

the sensation had

been. I had

grown roots and

had been planted

in the very

earth itself. At

the time, I

didn’t know what

would be coming,

but I did

know that there

was really only

one option left

to me. I had

only to grow.

I had only

to reach for

the sun and

beyond, no matter

what came. I

was not who

I had been

but had grown

into something more.

I had only

to reach for

the sun and

continue growing to

find out what

I had become.