By Elizabeth Haist

Ethos

The brown paper napkins are stacked,
the wooden floor gleams and the sconces flicker.
The sun filters through the French doors
with the white billows;
cat comes in first always languid and light,
while placid cows breathe and feel the spirals of sensation,
as we descend into plank, breath lifts us into cobra
and soon jubilant hips angle into dog…
gurus, prophets, sages, mystics for a moment,
we climb into warriors, letting go of all the doing,
dropping it softly as knees fall into child’s pose,
sillystupid at our best with our applesauce crossed legs
holding hula hoops under our arms,
our shoulders melting like vegan butter—
Soon the foundation of oceanic rhythms give way,
releasing the I, the WE, and ever present me, me, me—
Our bodies, clay pots are thrown with each breath,
glazed with each movement, ready as the heat rises,
we glisten with each new firing,
as our vessels’ impurities bead and drop,
we leave, we grow into
good enough mothers,
compassionate enough fathers,
smart enough sisters and strong enough brothers.
Taller, we begin again…
ready to share a little more,
ready to fight a little less.

————–

More information on this Contemporary Anthology can be found at www.ThePoetryOfYoga.com.

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Over the next week, The Poetry of Yoga is releasing 1 poem a day from a published author in the Volume 1 Book.  Each author featured is hosting a release event for the book.  This 4th poem in the series by Elizabeth Haist coincides with the book release she is organizing in Michigan:

MICHIGAN:

ETHOS Center for Yoga & Therapeutic Arts will host a Poetry Reading on Friday, December 9th, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at 113 S. Saginaw St., Holly, MI 48442 to celebrate the launch of the The Poetry of Yoga Book.  Contact Beth Haist at [email protected] for further details.

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