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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

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