Lindsay L. O'Connor

Free Play

What would you do if you weren’t afraid? Those dear protectors
only want to keep us safe
but sometimes, they hem us in, 
behind and before, 
so our little world shrinks
smaller and smaller
and we can’t see a way out anymore. 
Many times, what they want most 
in the world 
is to be heard, seen, 
acknowledged, validated. 
And then, when they see 
that we understand, 
at least a little, 
and are willing to take them seriously, 
they relax, 
just a little, 
like an upset child
held in her mother’s strong, protective arms. Once they have had a chance
to offer their wisdom,
they are free to serve the role 
they were intended to serve: 
to keep a confident but relaxed lookout 
on the growing peripheries
so that we might be free 
to explore and play. 
They set the gradually widening boundaries for safety that allow
for curiosity and creativity,
and eventually,
abundance
that isn’t overwhelming,
but exhilarating.

~Lindsay L. O’Connor