"Alive"

"Alive" - Poem by Sherri Lynn Shumate
(Sherri recently had a bout with a nasty illness. This is her response to feeling better at last).

Sometimes I need to be 
Stuck,
Trapped inside
Too sick to move 
before 
I remember 
what a gift it is to
Breathe fresh air 
And feel my boots sink 
in deep dark mud puddles.
Sometimes I have to be forced to 
STOP
before I learn 
To slow down enough 
to see the splash of the beaver 
and distinguish the birds’ whistling songs
and smile at the wind in my hair 
and sun smiling on my face 
and touch the plants with my fingertips
while not caring at all 
that I’m wearing red heart pajamas
in public in my woods
Because 
it’ll make the kids smile 
when I leave here to go to work 
On pajama day.
And today,
I can’t hardly wait for work 
because I know it’s a gift 
to do something that matters,
and I’m grateful
to have a job
Already calling 
before I even get there 
to ask if I’ll stay late
Today