Driving to Work

This poem came about this winter, when I was driving to one of my jobs, working as a substitute teacher in our local schools.

Mornings are often hard for me, as sleep brings up a lot of anxiety in my body. Nighttime is when my vertigo flares tend to arise, and these episodes can be very frightening. So going to sleep takes a long time, which means waking up can take a long time, too.

Which means getting to work on time can be a challenge! But this particular morning, I opened to the tight bellied feeling of, "I will be late," and was surprised by what I felt. That experience then became this poem.

We now have comments! And a prompt for you to explore...

Friends, we now have the comments working on O Nobly Born! This means that you can share your thoughts about the poems, or share your own poem about what you experience when you're running late, or judging yourself, or are feeling anxious. When you open to your experience, what do you feel?

Driving to Work

Driving to work, you leave
the house a few minutes late
only to be stopped by a train.
You get stuck behind the school
drop off and wait several rounds
at the light. Your chest tightens
as your anxiety rises and you notice
how much it hurts to contract
into this smaller you, the
frightened one who's worried
about being late. You feel the urge
to speed, the impulse to push ahead
instead of letting the car merge
in front of you. But then
you notice the morning sun,
cresting above the trees, light
filtering through the clouds.
You feel the warm air of the heater
blowing on your chilled legs.
Your hands unclench as you open
to the truth: yes, I will be late
and yes, I am so much more
than this tired woman, achy
from a fitful night's sleep,
driving in harried traffic,
worried about the morning.
I am also the waking sun
and the warm air on my feet
and this, my alive, opening heart.

O Nobly Born is a reader supported newsletter. If you appreciate receiving the poems of O Nobly Born, you can subscribe to the newsletter by clicking on the red button below, make a $10 donation here by credit card or a donation of any amount through paypal at paypal@growinghumankindness.com. I cherish every donation, as they support this work and enable me to offer these poems freely to all.

With a grateful heart, Karly