an ode

i have this recurring dream that i can fly, that somehow i’ve become light and free like a bird. i’ll see the whole world beneath me, spread out like a map, beautiful yet distant, like a world in a snow globe. i’m always slightly relieved when i wake up grounded to the physical.

i feel a deep gratitude for every part of me that allows me to express love to the world. legs that have carried me across rivers, mountain paths, bustling train stations, gaps in the crosswalks. arms that hug, hands that rub soothingly across a friend’s back, fingers that sketch and type, smooth down errant strands of hair, cup water from a stream to splash on a hot day. a body that allows me jump and dance and run. it’s as close to flying as i can get.