I Once Walked

Photo by Fiona Vail

I once walked
a thousand miles
in shoes
that didn’t fit.

Until, blistered and bruised
I realised
they were not mine
and new sight eroded them
bit by bit by bit.

Seasons of unlearning
and long days of unfolding
untie the tongue and round out sharp edges
to return us barefoot and wondrous
— born to live in heaven.

My skinned soles
have climbed mountains
and swum in cool seas
only to catch the reflection
of a full faced moon
gazing back at me.

I am the sum of all parts
and the maker of none
I am the source from which all life flows
the constant ache-er
the silent dancer
who longs only, for the one.

I am barefoot and soul-skinned
finding a gentle way to be
so when it’s my time
and ash has turned stone
I can rest in the remembrance
of what it was, to be me.

Alanna Meredith