Ebbing

The swans didn’t say much
but their slow gaze and feather ruffling
made me take a deeper breath
which meant the difference between days,
between spaces, pockets of time
that can be found in a few hours of rest
or with a reshuffling of chemicals
or cracking open an aching heart
to let in a little light, a little love
and in this case, letting some birds tell me
what’s what and where I belong.