by Alexis Gomez (California, U.S.A.)
I am here
but sometimes I want to be at the point
where my body is still like
the photo from 2007 where I am four
laying on the living room carpet
holding my infant brother who’s drooling
and I am smiling and
I am healthy and
I have never known a life unlike this.
I am here.
Not like those
under a setting spring sun
warming their skin
unburned,
unlike
my insides
eyes
mouth
scalp
lungs
legs
heart
ego.
I will get there
when I can say thank you
to my body for fighting
(itself)
to keep me alive
everyday.
Timelines are unpredictable.
I know I will get there because
I think of the future
I think about being in it
laughing
singing
dancing
admiring
feeling
appreciating
living.
I am here
for now
but I will get there.
(Photo by Fallon Michael on Unsplash)