searching

when the
center feels
hollow

and there
is a hunger
to fill it

when there
is a sense of
grasping

and desperation
for what seems
far from reach

when we
do not know
what it is

and do
not dare
guess

reach for
poetry
and
morning light

reach for
long breaths
and
quiet

reach for
that thing
called fear

and embrace it

and strangle it.