64 x 36 (Surprised by Joy)

Sometimes the air clears, the moments are arrested,

Crystalline: air still, mind slow, the held breath

Hanging, and into that pocket of emptiness joy

Arrives unbidden, does her small  invisible dance

Up and down the darkened corridors of your

Brain, and because you know she cannot stay

Long, you watch and listen in deep appreciation
Electrified, stilled, trying not to scare her away.

Process Reflection: 

• Formally, an acrostic poem, combined with the 8x8 grid I've been working with. The idea for trying one as the next entry in this series came to me as I was falling asleep last night. I forgot about it during the day, and then as I sat down to write tonight, it came back to me.
• Denotatively, a report, pure and simple. This is how it goes down, at least for me.
• Psychologically, compensating for loss with attentiveness. I'm still thinking a lot about Dan, whose capacity for manifesting joy was so much greater than mine has ever been.