The Art of Receptivity

The Art of Receptivity

by Lauren Taub Cohen

When I sit down to write

I do not stalk my thoughts

or rummage through

memories in search of

bruises and kisses

and all that rests

between the two.

Instead

I fall back into silence

and let it carry me toward

what wants to be

revealed.

Unraveling

is a passive

process.

Words spread out

across the page

and I observe

what surfaces

like a child

mesmerized

by the sight

of her reflection

shimmering in the

quiescent stretch

of glassy water.