Catharsis
by Oscar Duffy
We like to think of moments of
release, relief, revelation.
We find comfort in the moment of
changed fortune,
When the ef
fort seems worth it,
and the world around us
Responds to the questions we
pose it.
But what of the moment before?
The moment of no return,
The leap off the cliff,
The abyss,
Between a call and its response?
Catharsis
That’s what’s on the other side of the chasm.
Though let us take time to appreciate the jump,
The feeling of weightlessness,
Of no responsibility.
We can anticipate the landing,
Our feet on the hard floor,
Secure and poised to move forwards once again.
But it’s the preceding moments which allow
us to be at our freest.
The landing only means something by virtue of
The jump.
