Word for a Year

i like the randomness, the stars spread out on a wood floor in the church and people walking up , selecting a star and then turning it over to discover their word—and either smiling or wondering how that particular word fits them or perhaps it doesn’t fit but you grow into the word as if it’s a piece of clothing that needs a hem, a tuck, a shortening before it feels comfortable, belongs to you

as i walked to the front of the church and looked at the array of stars one seemed to draw me nearer until i stood in front of this four inch star, bent down, picked it up and walked back to my place, the seat i sit in since the pews were taken out to create a circular space, the space that requires a shift in thinking about the structure of a church

just the way i needed to rethink my way around, readjust perceptions, i wanted to approach my word with that same sense of being in the presence of something new, a word to explore, to turn inside out, to feel its texture, to taste the saltiness, the tart edges, to listen to its sound when whispered, when sung, when spoken in sacred places, in profane places, in alleyways, while walking, spoken to a lover, to a friend

i turned the star over to find the word that will follow me or lead me for the year—open— my word is open and we will dance together, taking turns leading, looking back and looking ahead

#WOTY2018