Opening

When I open myself up,
sadness sometimes creeps in,
old stories of defeat and regret,
the pain of unmet expectations
lurking always in the background,
the underbelly of my experience.

And then,
when I give my full attention
to what is happening within me,
and around me,
there is this richness,
the immediacy
of all that bathes my senses,
and the sadness drifts away,
like a cloud dispersing,
and I am back
where I belong.