The mind runs
like a train to a small town
where the news is old.
It travels
to the same
endlessly certain
destination
so you can live
safely
guarded

from the intrusion of possibilities
undisturbed
by questions.

Bound tight

your muscles clenched

frozen

You are puzzled

by how hard it is to bend,

to reach out or up

unaware
of the bars in your jail cell
like a fish, unaware of water.

In your narrow, airless room
open the dusty curtain
lift the window
allow
vistas to open
where solutions
like surprises
rise up as flowers ready to bloom
in the soil of spaciousness.
Breathe.
Stretch.
Loosen
your hands
around
your own neck.
Unlock the prison cell.
Step outdoors
inhale
at last
deeply
fresh mountain air
at the start of a new day
in a new place.
Unfold yourself
like a blanket on the grass.