My Breath
Finalist: Dalia Shvartsman
Harrisburg Academy
Sometimes,
I wonder why
Sounds evoke such strong emotions.
I feel
Such an intense urge
To determine if what I feel
Really exists
A warm tear finds its way down my cheek
Slowly melting
Blends with my skin
I walk barefoot on my carpet
With the sunlight peeking through
I push against the warm soft ground
As I rise to my tiptoes
Reaching for my violin
Which hangs lonely by my bedroom window.
I tune my strings to perfect fifths, making
Sounds
The breathing of time
Creating transient ripples through space
It seems to me a paradox
How we feel more in control of the past and future
Than we ever could in
The present moment;
I feel it fleeting
What an obscure concept
I breathe In-
and Out.
I hear the light hum of my presence;
I feel like a child
Determined to catch a butterfly
Is it conceited that we think value exists in only
What we can touch? -
Something unchanging as dates go by
Something permanent
Still
The emotions that both evoke
Do not differ
So what makes one more real than the other?
Finding the present moment
Is rare
And perplexing
As you uncover the ever-changing
Yet stable presence
Of yourself