Thank You
If you find yourself half naked
and barefoot in the frosty grass, hearing,
again, the earth's great, sonorous moan that says
you are the air of the now and gone, that says
all you love will turn to dust,
and will meet you there, do not
raise your fist. Do not raise
your small voice against it. And do not
take cover. Instead, curl your toes
into the grass, watch the cloud
ascending from your lips. Walk
through the garden's dormant splendor.
Say only, thank you.
Thank you.
Notes
Gay transforms a sudden, public moment of shared laughter into a radical sanctuary of relief from the heavy anxieties of the world. It perfectly mirrors the July philosophy, showing that staying unburdened is not about hiding from reality, but actively choosing the grace of an unexpected, fleeting connection. By celebrating the effortless weightlessness born from communal joy, the poem serves as a brilliant reminder that a simple, passing moment of gratitude is enough to dissolve our daily gravity. #poetry #self #dread #existential #gratitude