Ateret Haselkorn

Look towards freedom.
The path will dip into the furrow between your brows,
ruminating on the stenciled outline of regret.
It can be brief like a shared gaze on the bus, or
as long as a lifetime spent anchored to the river floor,
watching as tadpoles grow feet and leave.

Learn to love error by mimicking children’s art;
the way that yarn, glitter and masking tape
form a potholder that is unapologetic and beaming.
Know that your life is not one flyer dancing on a bulletin board
but many, small pieces of bright paper,
each holding the spotlight for as long as a gust of wind blows to one side.

Now remember the movements of freedom
and the feel of your body piercing clear water.
Release your breath,
propelling your torso into a dancing wave,
casting off debris that turns into a transparent echo
before dissolving into irrelevance.