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In Our Own Words
Living With Literature/Writing Our Stories
SELECTION NINE
In response to "Mountain Birthday," by Anne Lamott
I swam in the tides of no return to the top of a mountain where I sat and looked down into a field where the crops no longer grow. I see the soldiers on their post who guard against my insecurities. I have faith, can you hear me? I have faith but sometimes fears just weigh too much. This whole world just makes me want to say damn. What’s the matter, world, don’t you think I’m bright enough?
Sometimes I laugh and sometimes I cry and yet other times I sit and wonder why. Some days I want to live to see a hundred and other times I want to just lay down and die.
Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t, sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t.
Now I sit and stare at the abyss of my life and patiently wait for the abyss to stare into me. I cannot discern between being the giant of my dreams and the dwarf of my fears.
As I stand and brush the sand off of my pants, I stare out into the ocean and realize just how small I am.
by JW