There is Power in Art
I wake up and it is quiet
There’s no noises
The sunlight is peeking through the blinds of my bedroom window, where I see the wind ruffle the leaves of our magnolia tree.
I hear the wind, now, too.
Two hummingbirds are buzzing at the feeder suction cupped to my window. They rest and drink the sugary water and look at me through the window.
A crow caws as it flies past, and my wife rolls over in her sleep. The sound of her breathing is long and measured.
I wake up like this, everyday. It is extremely peaceful and the most relaxing thing I’ve ever experienced.
Yet, my heart is beating fast, very fast, like wings of the hummingbird outside of my window. There’s a knot of anxiety that refuses to dissipate. Something has a hold on my chest and my breathing is shallow. Why? What is making me feel this way, when I wake up in such an idyllic environment?
I pick up my phone that is next to me on my nightstand, and then I know why. Why I’ve felt this way for months, why I’ve felt uneasy since I moved from Brooklyn, to Seattle.
I feel unsafe. I feel that my life is threatened.
Scratch that.
