next in a series of permission slips
by Maya Stein
Take your time, like the dahlias, to emerge.
Marvel at your capacity to change your mind.
There is a root system for everything that feels impossible.
If you feel like making a cardboard boat, make a cardboard boat.
Stay with a task until it begins to resent your effort.
Listen for the river underneath the river.
The sound of bees is a song of belonging.
How you fold or unfold a map is up to you.
What if what you know now is what you’ve always known?
When you look in the mirror, wink at the face peering back.
Reprinted with the kind permission of Maya Stein.
