Soaking in that sunshine, like a thirsty little sunflower

My head pointed towards the heavens

Eyes closed

Lips curled slightly upward.

The rays warm me

Exactly where I’m tense and chilly.

I’m so taken with the light—

How it ignites

The sparkly nail polish on my now-blazing fingertips.

I’m so taken with the shadows—

How they transform

My leggings into spidery fishnets.

The top of my coffee

Getting its daily serving of rays, too.

As I sip

Slowly swallowing each rich, dark drop

It’s like drinking liquid gold—

My insides melt.

I feel richer, warmer

More joyful.

So simple.

To bathe in the beauty of this fierce yet gentle lioness

Cleanses me.

She holds me close, in her toasty bosom

And tells me tales of her wisdom.

“You don’t need to try so hard,” she says.

“You don’t need to do so much, “she says.

“You don’t have to make life so complicated,” she says.

Her simple words

Travel to my core.

I’m enveloped

In the precious swirls of her light.

She gives me one final kiss

Before she departs

To embrace a cloud.

But, her light, her love, her wisdom

And most of all—

Her simplicity

Stay in my breath.

She peaks out on my drive home

And follows me along

The winding roads back.

Two long rays on each side of the car,

Like she’s holding me up.

“I’m here for you,” she says.

“Even when you can’t see me, I’m here,” she says.

So sincere.

And, so I will

Bow to her beauty, her delicious simplicity

Every day.

Because her light is my light

And the sun is always shining

Inside of me,

Too.

Love elephant and want to go steady?

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Editor: Renée Picard

Photo: author’s own artwork