Have you ever thought about the pause in between breaths? I have been fascinated with this for some time. Focusing on it periodically has been a source of tranquillity for me.
Our world is so tumultuous that it resembles a ship caught up in a gigantic storm – our collective consciousness. It is battered and swamped by raging waves – cruel wars in many parts of the world; a crew exhausted by disagreements among its members and by poverty; rife societal polarisation and a cost of living crisis that is increasingly burdensome. The ship itself is damaged by misuse and neglect – our planet is giving way under the weight of man-made climate change.
This year, just under half the world’s population will head to the polls to choose the direction of travel of the different lifeboats stored within the ship. Will they set sail for calm seas or forge on towards other storms?
We know from studying nature that while storms are ferocious, the centre of a storm, its eye, is calm and still. If you move in perfect harmony with it, you will be shielded from its rage and destruction. The space in between our breaths is that place for me, the place of stillness where you rest, where you are protected from harm, from the winds, the waves, from hail and rain. The place where you are entirely aware that you are alive. Where no thought can penetrate. It’s just you, your breath and its in-between space.
This poem is about that space. The space where I rest. Where there are no polarities, no conflict, no tension.
The space in between
Breathe in...breathe out
Breathe in...breathe out
Breathe in...breathe out
It is that pause between
that draws me in
...That space where you are neither dead nor alive
That space which gives you choice to take another breath...or not
That place where your mortality resides
Where the promise of another breath lies
Where the worry of death
dissolves
Where the hope of life
grows
Where the combat between the breaths is put to rest
Where clarity is at its best
Where you always get respite
Where there is no fright
The in-between is all there is
Isn’t It a soft release to know
That the vinyl spins on
that nothing’s ever final
