HEAT

In Florida in August,
you walk out the door of your
air-conditioned room
and the heat wafts up to meet you
like a huge marshmallow.
To me,
it feels like a welcoming committee,
all smiling and happy to see me,
and I respond.
Even the stubbornest negativity
about life, love, lunch
or nothing in particular
melts into the arms of this mystical power.
My skin softens.
My body is light and I feel,
yes, graceful.
A state of grace, a state of graceful.
And I am grateful.
I have sworn I will not spend
one more winter in the north,
and perhaps this year I will find a way.
Do you understand,
this is not just about temperature?
This is about feeling wanted.


© Ellen Azorin