The well of recognition

After one long weekend,
steeped in poetry,
I went into the forest,
following an unfamilar path,
and there I found it:
there I found the well,
the well of recognition,
not indifference.

I stepped into the forest
and there came upon the well,
the well of re-cognition,
the well of knowing once again
the girl who was myself before,
before the changes came
that made me who I am today.


The well of re-cognition,
of unlearning and re-learning
who I was and what I know,
what I am, and what I have -- and will -- become;
unlearning past
and seeing through new eyes
the future that always was
and still will be.

Come with me: walk deep into the forest.
Climb onto the well's rock wall,
strip off your clothes
and lift your arms.
Now take that one deep breath,
then lift, and dive.

And as you fall,
breathe the dark green wonder of it all:
keep breathing, breathe, and breathe again,
the way you never could
in that blue chlorinated pool
of your childhood.