By Sigrid E. Mortensen
© 2023
When the dial glides easily
With a flick of the fingers….
When it spins just the right amount
With smooth, quiet ticks
In just the right direction
To land on the perfect
Destination
Numbers only now remembered….
When barrels tumble
And give
And yield,
And metal clicks
And sighs,
And with a satisfying clunk
The lock falls open
Heavy and cold
In the palm of your hand
And you stare at it
As startled at it is
That it surrendered ground so quickly….
When you can slide that crooked shaft
Soundlessly from its rusty latch
And the heavy door
Held shut for years
Opens with a whisper….
When sunlight streams through the opening
Motes dancing on beams
And blinds your face with warmth
And recognition….
When all resistance falls away,
When muscles long held tense
For reasons you can no longer quite recall
Melt into acceptance….
When you know
Without a solitary doubt
That you never had a reason to fear
Or worry
Or fret….
When you remember,
“Oh, yes!
This is how I let go!
And this is what it feels like to
Invite those shy gremlins of fun
And play
And joy
To peek from behind the corner
And run into my world
Skipping
And scrambling
And giggling,
Glad to be a part of my game….”
It is in these moments
That you free yourself from the barriers that
Only you
Could have placed on the gates
Keeping you safe from
Who
Knows what?
It is then that you remember
Who you are
And why you’re here
And all you have to offer.
It is then that you unlock
The full potential
Of your creative
Genius
And bask in the
Openness
Of your
Unguarded
Heart.