Air Spirit

Letting go.
Do we have to let go of something we love?
Dazzled by the stars,
Intrigued by the moon, by me
Your love envelops my freedom.
Passion has been replaced by fear.

While the pain is a reminder of thy fate-
Joy becomes an observer.
When was the last time you ran like a child?
When was the last time you made a tent out of sheets?
The day you couldn’t breathe
Watching us go.
Remember? Remember me?

Perhaps we have all been mis-educated to believe
That the higher we fly
The harder we work
The stronger we are
The better we be-
The rainbow will be ours
The pain will subside.
Tomorrow will be ours
Dreams, his "lady luck," the dream.

But meanwhile, I wait.
I carry on day by day.
Hope becomes hate becomes
Waiting, waiting, waiting
The child in me grows old
My children, again, old
And my mother, the angel
All alone.

Dearest Air Spirit up above
All around me I breathe your spirit
Is an owl flying by-
Or the howl of a midnight cry
I can’t find you
Find me before I carry on, too late.

Teach me to believe
That if I love, I must let go
That I can never be the best
Because better than me right now
Is only a fantasy.
Tell me to trust the woman, in me-
The boy in me that I was
The man that continues to deliver
Uncertain, but warm.
Honest and childlike
Tell me that everything will be all right
If I let go

Let go of me
Long enough to embrace you
Air Spirit
Love and family

All that jazz.

_______________

Possible Guiding Questions for Dialogue

1) Why do we have to "give up" something in order to be successful?

2) How do we know when we are working hard enough to accomplish our goals?

3) Is there ever a right time to "quit?"

4) What does the poem suggest we gain if we "let go?"

5) How does our age or the passing of time affect what we value?