Afraid

When I was afraid,
I would count.

one thousand one
one thousand two

The plane will land.

one thousand three
one thousand four

The trunk will open.
The arm will move.
The scream will come.
The baby will be born.

one thousand fifty
one thousand fifty-one

Life is only seconds, they say,
one after the next and the next,
and on and on forever
until you die.

If that's really true,
why not fill
every second
with light?

one thousand one
one thousand two

Bright lights
Shafts
rays

sparks
illuminating
the fear
until it blanches into
whiteness.

one thousand three
one thousand four

There is my hand,
on it my ring.
There is the window,
beyond it the blue sky.

There is my mother,
pouring a tea.
I am breathing,
in and out in and out.

One thousand five
One thousand six

I
am
not
afraid.

I am
Not
afraid

Not
afraid.

Joan BAEZ (2024). When you see my mother, ask her to dance. Boston: Godine.