“As If” by Laura Arena
Poetry Pause is the League of Canadian Poets’ daily poetry dispatch. Read “As If” by Laura Arena.
As If
By Laura Arena
I am outside already, eyes open,
a vision through panels of glass,
morning light from the east,
turning golden in the evening.
If I could lie on the grass and dirt,
the smell of earth indenting my exposed skin,
finding its way into the creases of my clothing,
in touch with the sweat of the earth.
My body, heavy in the sheets,
a tree trunk anchored in the grid lines,
rooted to the golden angel of Tiergarten,
to the waterโs edge of the Spree.
As if I could leave the house,
walk the uneven street,
be another body in motion,
passing through thresholds without thought.
The trees, steadfast,
strategically placed and yet still wild,
teach me dualityโ
how to hold both restraint and freedom, both rootedness and sway.
As if I can also be both sick and well,
both hopeful and hopeless,
a window that opens inward,
a street, a sidewalk, a path that opens outward.
The constant is our alignmentโ
my side versus your side,
different atmospheres divided by glass,
different rhythms of sound braiding in the air between us.
As if
Copyright ยฉ Laura Arena
Laura Arena is a Berlin-based Native and queer interdisciplinary artist and writer exploring disability, belonging, Indigenous knowledge, and embodied forms of communication. A contributing writer for Red Door Magazine in Copenhagen, the work spans writing, photography, performance, and social practice, and has been exhibited internationally through exhibitions, residencies, and research programs worldwide.
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