My yoga teacher said to turn our gaze inward – a poem by Jill Pearlman

My yoga teacher said to turn our gaze inward

Encased in my body’s frame
still, vigilant
is a large bird

feathers slick
unflinching eyes

I keep my breath smooth
not to startle it

scrutinizing with
deference.

Nothing moves, not a feather
on this good raptor

I avoid its magnificent
eyes

only the ripple of bluish light
on the glassy pond between us.

Jill Pearlman is a writer and poet based in Providence, RI. She has published in Salamander, Frequency Anthology, Soul-Lit, Crosswinds and others. She writes a blog about ecstasy, art and aesthetics in wartime at jillpearlman.com