Equanimity Found

By Andito Sutherland-Johnson

I went looking for serenity

The cure to my anxiety

I found it perched on Biscayne Bay

Water birds fed from it

Red mangroves walked on it

It illuminated the Oleta River by day

I found my self wrapped in imperturbability

The air was infused with sobriety

One thousand forty three acres of hush

The sun began settling into its watery bed

The sky was on fire over my head

I knew it was time to return to the rush

I came to the end of the bike trail I chose

This would bring my quest to a close

And return me to urban reality where new-found equanimity would keep me strong

I stood in place for a moment absorbing every last bit

This encounter with nature inspired the rebuild of my spirit

I internalized the park and it would become an inner refuge for me my whole life long

                                         - Andito Sutherland-Johnson