after acceptance (part 3)

clairsentience. 

(the new experience of the word near.) 

in the silence we got stronger.

without physical contact

or hearing breath graze nose hairs;

watching pixelated impressions of eyebrows bumble across smudged screens, 

we strained to understand the meaning—

the feeling behind words 

arrested by spotty connections.

so our capacity to understand grew. 

in the open space, 

6 inches around our bodies, 

where pedestrians would have been abruptly changing direction.

the open space in our armpits kindly trying not to face your nose on the subway.

in these open spaces that had once been full, sensations erupted.

i felt your fear and held it in my shoulder.

you felt my gratitude and twisted it in your fingers.

i will never forget 

the first hug i felt through zoom. 

as time wore on, the silence filled up

with lovers quarrels, worries, frustrations, needs.

neighbors, roommates, coworkers, family

every determined step that shook the floor, 

every faucet tap drawing water through the walls

echoed steel wool across nerve endings.

senses frayed, 

we rushed to solve, placate, eradicate the problems.

as is known, this method is ineffective.

we resigned to hide, escape, push the problems away.

as is known, this method is death.

it took time, but eventually 

the empaths and the vibe readers 

(who had now become clairsentients)

learned how to feel and how to protect.

it took time, but eventually

this sense became more widely recognized

and spread across the people.

eventually

this new sense 

eroded all denial of our conditions

business as usual became generally painful.

it is very difficult to lie to an empath

and when everyone is an empath, 

communities built on lies are difficult to maintain.

political systems & business enterprises imploded.

not before raging against the inescapable horror of the suffering on which they were built.

fighting to hold on to ignorance, they inflicted grave destruction

but there was also a great deal of healing. 

and when we were ready. slowly and quickly we healed.

___________

Day 11 #pandowrimo @adriennemareebrown what unknown capacities are unveiled by pandemic? and what happens because of them? @iskabone