Rise/Fall by Courtney Fussel

“Rise/Fall” poem from The Other Side of the Table: Poetry Affirmations for the Unseen

Any empty calendar, still the days pile on
A shadow who calls itself friendly
Only because it has not left or stopped lingering near the closed window blinds
The bed covers grow so accustomed to your shape
Clinging, resting like a second layer of skin
Only somewhere in the middle of the numbness
You wonder if knowing how to begin again is worth the risk

The sun will still rise
And even if you don’t
If you fall for now
You are still here
So just start with breathing again
Your chest may feel exhausted with heaviness
But just breathe
Be steady
In the rise and fall
There you will begin to find
Hope will pulse back into your veins

Peace will find a home in the strengthened diaphragm
Welcoming light back in one window blind at a time
Finding joy in small spaces
A bed that’s made up instead of crawled into

Trust in the rise and fall
It’s not a rhythm
It’s a revival