In a letter long ago (when people
often wrote letters), Lisa reminded
me (the way a good friend will)
of what I needed to stay healthy.
She said,
You deserve good novels, cool
drinks, and late-night conversations.
Lisa knew I loved to read, stay up
all night talking. But Lisa also realized
that I’m like a camel, and should drink
a long, tall glass of something cool.
Remember, you’re an inside person,
and you must be coaxed outside,
with cheerful words and music,
light and air, for healing to begin.
Lisa understood a fellow mind-dweller,
who craves wandering down the aisles
of a used bookstore, with that unique
smell, but who cannot forget to always
reconnect with the earth, put her hands
into soil, putter in a garden, go for a walk,
hike gentle mountain trails, or take a drive
along the rugged coastlines of the Salish Sea.
Lisa gave it to me straight:
Movement is your guardian angel—
Burke-Gilman bicycle rides, Green Lake
strolls and Shilshole Bay wading, Arboretum
meandering, and Discovery Park rambling.
Never forget to live beyond your
means but within your dreams.
Alison Jennings is a Seattle-based poet who began submitting her work after retiring from school teaching and the business world. Recently, she has been published in over a dozen journals, online and in print. Please visit her website at https://sites.google.com/view/airandfirepoet/home for details of published poems.
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