Reflex

Created: 19 Dec 2022

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Today, Natalia shared "not quiet as in quiet but" with me, a poem by Victoria Adukwei Bulley.

Along with it, Natalia prompted me to think about a word that has been on my mind and to try writing a poem to/for it.

The word that immediately comes up for me: Reflex.

...reflex
as in automatic
as in instant
as in instinctive
as in “why did you respond that way?”
as in single-track
as in thoughtless
as in mechanical
as in impulsive
as in messy
as in “might there have been another way?”
as in frozen
as in afraid
as in small
as in unclear and indirect
as in out of the way
as in “why did you stay stuck?
as in intuitive
as in spontaneous
as in necessary
as in “aren’t you proud?”
...reflex.

I'm coming to trust that the reflexes I develop, shape how I think and feel and the impact I have.

I'm also becoming clear about wanting to hold myself accountable to acting on the reflexes that bring me closer to what I need and and resisting the reflexes that I think will help me move away from what I fear.

Publishing this is an act in service of the former.