Mindfulness splits me open with its sword
And I, like an apple cut half, fall into pieces two
Each side enveloped with a soft quilt
In this quiet winter afternoon

Presence seeps into the specks of my fingernails
And the chipped leaves losing color with the season
Climb into the tips of my fingers to dance
I watch — mesmerized, enchanted, whole

My eyes see every color brighter, every sound louder
And each movement is not intentionally noticed
Yet, never missed.
The windless weather is in me, coming from within

The objects here and everywhere come alive
With the attention I bestow like a prayer sprinkled
My breath becomes an itchy butterfly in the ocean
The waves scratch its feathers and quench its bruises

Nothing is still, yet nothing disturbs me
The presence of calm arriving from the inside
Percolating into every corner of the outside
Mindfulness has become my mosquito net from the chaos.