Core

I think that
at the very core of me,
often hidden beneath
the fear and trauma,
the busyness and distraction,
the grief,

there is pure joy.

Ever renewing,
it has sustained me
all these many years
through
all these many trials.

Today,
for reasons
I could not begin to explain,
I have found my way
back to it,
to sit beside
its sunlight dappled water
flowing clear over bedrock.

It feels
a lot like peace,
a lot like hope,
a lot like springtime
after a long, long winter.

By Maria Brady-Smith
Photo by Mike Smith