White Crane Spreads Its Wings and Folds Them

Last night, we cleaned the house. Erin needed me. I was supposed to do the dishes and finish everything that needed to be done. But I went outside to take out the trash before I did anything else. Then,

the clouds were moving across the sky, so, so fast
and there was much gray and cold
It bit across me like pleasant teeth of the world and I died in glory.

There were sounds, too, sounds like water moving
with twelve hundred shapes of noise
like tiny triangle pieces that flicker across the eyelids

My body was hot from the inside out,
not with flames, but glowing, like iron in a forge
and here it was crisp and free and full of wind

Gods! I wanted to gasp,
to draw the air of life into my lungs
To stay outside,
to run and run and run and never return
To just go--to just go
To fling myself into my car and to drive!

I wanted to fly!
White Crane Spreads Its Wings
Dragon Holding the Pearl

I wanted to go go go go go

...

But I didn't.

...

Every day I die a little bit more,
until I fear that, one day,
I will become insensible to that wild innate cry.