the gateway

every now and then,
when I fall into a pit
of utter darkness,
I stumble upon a portal
that takes me to a place
I've never been before;
it's not an imposing doorway
to another enchanting world,
it's not the fire escape
from a home that's burning down,
it's not that dreamy stairway to heaven,
or a Jack and the Beanstalk ride,
it's right here where I am,
in this bag of skin -
touched, bruised,
chiseled,
and stripped of everything
I thought was me,
it's right here
in the hollow of this gut,
in the relentless ebb and flow
of this bosom,
in the flood and drought
of these limpid eyes,
holding questions
that can only be lived
in the silent grace
of a heart-crafted life.