The Weight of Who I Am — PHILLIP NATHANIEL

Help me feel the weight of who I am,

so I have direction beneath my feet.

Teach me to honor the burden and the blessing of life,

for all who fight to live another day,

even when living another day means dying again.

So that when I lay down,

I may know who I have been and honor what remains.

Even as life at my side pulls my clothes through the thickets of passing,

and the briars stake their claim,

let the pieces of me that remain behind be an offering;

as life itself has offered everything to me.

Help me remember that in seasons of stillness

memory resurrects what wont be held

And in those moments remind me to listen;

to hear what is singing and who is silent,

so I may know when to be brave and when to rest.

Let it be carried and shared in nature,

for everything I cross is a witness, regardless of how time unfolds.

Let every string of ache, laughter, and exaltation be tied to gravity’s thread,

so I may remember my place among the dirt.

For I exist among the many miracles that are forgotten

and placed in the quiet recognition of belonging,

and through the courage of undressing again

and again

before the day and when it is done.

This work remains in its original form.