Potential and Place

by Janani K.

A hawk flies low
Swooping over the bay
Catching the currents
Eye trained on its diamond:
A fish far below.
It is one strand in a web
It has a goal:
It has a place

I sit in this chair,
Quietly, poised
My needle, threaded
My book, open
My bow taut, my arrow ready
Full of potential
But
No target in sight.

A fox runs slow
Leaping over brush
Tail twitching
Laser-focused on its silver nugget:
A single mouse in the grass.
It is one link in a chain
It has a goal:
It has a place.

I sit at this desk
Carefully
Silently
My sword drawn
My pen, uncapped
My arm cocked back, a spear in my hand
There is potential
But
No reason to throw.

A squirrel, climbing
A spider, creeping
A sparrow, fluttering
All of them have a place,
Stemming from a single goal:
Their search for sustenance.
It is a bright light leading them.
All of them move together in a choreographed dance:
Their potential lies in their group
The entire chain they are linked in
The web they weave together.

And I am a scattered page
A random word
Potential on its own
Needing a target
A reason,
A place.

Then it’s there:
Words are my target
Words are my place
Words are my home.

Words weave me into webs
Link me in a chain
Build connections
Bridges
Safety nets.

They are my community
A niche
A hideout
My place.

Words are my target,
Words are where I aim.
Words become my weapon,
My target
And my purpose.

Everything I have
Everything I will be
Everything now, and then, and in between
It’s all built on words.

And I let the arrow fly,
The spear soar
The sword slice
The pen write.

And I find a place:
In words, of words, by words
And my potential is
Unleashed.

About the Author 

Janani found her love for writing and poetry in fourth grade, when she had a teacher who encouraged and appreciated her writing.