The Sky Within My Heart – A Poem

I’m standing in a line,

the people in front

winding away from me

into the shadows like

a serpent, their features

unseen though the mist

that fills the air.

A man approaches me,

his features distinct

with large blue eyes,

curling brown hair

falling to his shoulders.

“What is the worst thing about you?”

He asks me, his voice soft

as if each word were formed

from honey or some elixir.

“I live with multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy,”

I tell him.

He nods and the asks,

“What is the best thing about you?”

I think about it for a moment,

the answer forming itself in my mind.

“That I live with multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy.”

His blue eyes widen, and I wonder

if I will fall into them.

“Why are they the worst and the best?”

He asks, genuinely wanting

to know the answer.

“Because whatever my disease and disability took from me, they also taught me what to truly be thankful for.”

He blinks and nods once,

as if a decision has been made.

Holding out an arm, he says

“Come with me, please. I will take you to the oracle.”

We walk away from the mist covered serpent

and he takes me to a door.

He knocks once upon it,

producing the sounds of bells ringing

somewhere in the distance.

Pushing open the door,

He gives me a smile.

“The oracle will see you now.”

I nod, giving him a smile of thanks,

and step into the room.

The door disappears behind me

and I find myself in a small meadow.

I can hear the sounds of water.

Making my way towards that sound,

I walk until the shoreline shows itself,

the shadow of a person becoming

clearer with each step I take.

Soon, I realize that it is a woman

dressed in white robes, her red hair

shining red and gold in the sun.

I go to stand next to her.

Though she says nothing,

the smile that she gives me

fills me with warmth.

I find myself embracing her

in a hug and can feel the warmth from her,

as if she is sun itself.

She holds me and when she steps away,

I can feel the warmth still from her touch.

She smiles and nods,

points to my stomach

and raises her eyebrows

as if in a question.

I nod and say

“Yes, go ahead. I trust you.”

As I say the words, I realize

that that they are true and

I can still feel the warmth from her.

She puts a hand to my stomach,

waits a moment, then moves her hand away

When she does, I can see a black mass,

thick like an oily sludge,

as it is being pulled from me.

As she continues to pull,

the mass envelops her

until all I can see is her face.

It’s wearing a mask of concentration.

She smiles at me and the blackness ends,

no longer coming from within.

Nodding her head as if satisfied,

she breathes on the black mass,

much as a mother would blow upon a wound

to help it to heal

and I watch as it changes,

as the blackness lessens to a grayness,

then a whiteness. It looks as if she

holds the clouds in her hands.

Gifting me another smile,

she takes a little bit of the cloud like substance

and places it inside me.

Then she places the rest of it,

that mass that was black like a cancer

but is now pure white,

into the water. I stand there,

touching the part of my chest

near my heart where she placed the sky

within me. Every time my heart beats,

I can feel the brightness of the sky

responding in kind.

We watch as the clouds sink into the water.

When they emerge, the world around us is filled with light

reflecting of the surface of the water.

She motions to my heart and then to the water,

wanting me to understand that

they are one and the same.

We stand there, watching a miracle unfold,

and I can hear the sounds of birdcall

in the distance.