A Taste of Life

This is what aliveness tastes like — the press of the throttle, the rise of the sun, the shiver of being seen. This poem is a hymn to those fleeting, infinite moments when the body remembers joy and the heart no longer flinches. It’s about flying, dancing, loving, forgiving, and realizing that every sensation — even pain — is proof that you’ve come back to life.

That feeling when you're the first across the finish line.
That feeling when the crowd cheers and claps.
That feeling when you hear "cleared for take off," you line up on the runway and press the throttle all the way in.
That feeling when you send a crux you thought you'd fall on.

That feeling when your love is reciprocated.
That feeling when you lose track of who's leading the dance and who's following.
That feeling when you don't know where you end and where your lover begins.
That feeling when the sun rises in the desert.

That feeling when your parent says they are proud of you and you know you deserve it.
That feeling when you know your kid is old enough to do it themselves and you do it for them anyway—because soon you won't get to.
That feeling when you first realize that emotional abuse brings up more compassion than anger.

That feeling when you finally realize that your need is a gift, your desire is power, your pain was a blessing.
That feeling when you truly accept that you are already the person you've been trying so hard to become.
That feeling when you know that happiness is boring and there are better things out there.