As we grow, our hair falls out,
we gain weight and wrinkles,
and lose elasticity in joints and skin,
and walk somewhat slower, sometimes.

If we were made of velveteen, perhaps we would get patched,
and we would be left outside in the rain
and grow some mildew if not discovered for a while.

But we are much more than a beloved thing.
We are spirit with body;
human with connection to divine.
We are made to last a long, long, long, long time.

Those moments when I experienced
a tip-toed look over the edge of the world—
those moments had me fooled, as if
nothing mattered but fear, as if
I had only this one long breath, or lack of breath,
and this mountain down which I looked—
which would not move.
So I felt. So I believed.

Now here I am, meandering down each mountain,
and wondering more about who is here with me
than whether
I can push through
to take that first step down.

Yes, sometimes my lungs ache when I breathe,
and still
I breathe.