I felt the staccato snap of each vertebrae in my spine as I lengthened and then twisted my torso in Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) and wondered how much longer I could keep looking up at the ceiling before I lost all feeling in my neck.
The yogi urges me to take two more waves of breath and then release—slowly—back up to Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Two).
Pause.
Then I am exhorted to drop my right arm down and behind, grazing the back of my left thigh with my hand, and lift my left arm, shining my heart to the ceiling for Reverse, or Proud, Warrior.
I inhale,
then exhale,
then inhale and slowly straighten my left leg for Stargazer, my favorite pose because it reminds of you.
I imagine us both reaching for the stars, me metaphorically and you literally with your fancy camera and telescope.
The shutter of your camera snaps in time with each of my vertebrae.
***
I wrote this a few years ago in an online poetry class. I don’t know what you call it, if it’s a poem or just a bunch of sentences. The form was originally one paragraph but I like this better. I was practicing yoga one night at a local studio and, yes, thinking about my husband who was out in the wilderness taking photos of the stars.
Categories: Poetry
Marie A Bailey
Writer, blogger, knitter, cat lover, and introvert.
This was lovely, Marie. I love the imagery of you reaching toward the sky in that pose while your husband lifts his camera. In your own ways, you’re reaching for the same thing. So lovely.
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Thank you! In light of recent events, I decided to “dust it off.” It had been languishing as a draft blog post for a long time. It made me feel better than I read it so I’m glad you like it too 🙂
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I’m also thinking the timing of this post is related to the events of the previous post…
(I agree with you, BTW)
take care
peace
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Yes, Laura, the timing is related. I had written this post a while ago, maybe 2 or 3 years ago, and had it gathering dust as a draft blog post. I guess I was just waiting for the right time. Peace and love to you.
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Let’s just call it good, Marie. Nice job. 😉
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Thank you, John 😘
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🙂
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Beautiful, Marie!
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Thank you, Jill! 🙂
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I agree with all the comments, but especially John. It’s just plain good. 🙂
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Thank you!
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Lovely, Marie. 🙂
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Thank you!
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Nice! I used to have students take paragraphs from books and put the lines into a more poetic format. Next up you should do a concrete poem in the shape of a yoga pose 😉
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Thanks for the suggestion! I like it 😀
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