Antidote

I screamed.
Not something I do.

I pressed the off button
So hard
I had to try it again
To make sure it wasn’t
Broken….

Stop.
Took a slow, deep breath….
And nearly choked
On the rancid air
I had expelled.
How small have we become?
How uninformed?
How manipulated?
How forgetful?
How vindictive?
How unloving?
How small.
Convinced there is no gray,
Let alone any color or scale.

Nature, though,
In its own stand-offish way,
Presented a magnificent
Blanket of snow,
First of the new winter —
Encouraging a planned
Visit
To our special place
Beyond the frazzled.

Through the gate
Everything changed.
Dancers.
Lovers.
Metaphors.
Spaces between brushstrokes.
So familiar,
Yet so different.
Opening a new level
Of attainable
Hope.

Took a slow, deep breath….
And the air I expelled
Became fresh.