Shirking the warmth and comforts of home, stepping out into the open world -
the cold, unrelenting world - my lungs are filled with the Will of God, the Wits of the Weather, the War of Life. My body’s cries for a taste, a dose, a sensation of nicotine drags my feet forward, guides my fingers to expose themselves, frees the space around my lips; I persist. The world greets me without prejudice, the world gifts me with its essence, it’s power, it’s love, it’s hate. The world hands to me the keys of the Universe- indiscrimination. I and the world become one. I not only breathe it’s air, I contend with the divine clouds of the mighty heavens with each exhale. I not only swing my arms as I step, my delicate hands are held captive to a stern grip as I hear my bones chatter in symphony amongst themselves. As the winter season has bestowed on me a wondrous reminder of the fragility of my humanity, I may now step out into the cold to feel it’s warmth.