The world spun increasingly slow
Days felt like months
Hours felt like days
Minutes felt like hours
Volcanoes spurted their larvae
All together
They wanted me to feel their inner heat
I didn't want to miss it
I felt hot, very very hot
I smoldered, I cringed,
I felt as if I were turning to ash
Instead I turned into glass
Thick glass
I refracted the glow of the molten larvae
The larvae felt like tears
Tears that would have otherwise remained retroflected,
Flowed in hot fury
I am thankful for the heat that changed me
I have turned into a solid, transparent, reflective, smooth, supportive material
This is a gift
As the end drew near
The volcanoes emptied out
Heat turned to warmth
It is now summer
The sense of an ending
There is sadness
It is not grief because there is no loss
Only gain
As the last milliseconds crept by
I felt the here-and-now like never before
How long does the here-and-now last anyway?
3 seconds? 3 milliseconds?
At the very end
As we say our goodbyes for the last time at the door
as we turn to look each other for the last time eye to eye
The here-and-now is eternity.
Nicole Chew-Helbig, Vienna, 26.6.2019