Kjell Walfridsson: "Restricted Living"

I have lived restricted
for so many years
the days they vanish
the years disappear
One day I feel
from the ocean a breeze
It warms my inside
and melts my ice
There are doors forgotten
that lead somewhere
though I never dared
believe they existed

Jag har varit trångbodd
i så många år
dagar försvinner
åren de går
En dag jag känner
från havet en bris
Den värmer mitt inre
och smälter min is
Det finns glömda dörrar
som leder någonstans
fast jag aldrig vågat
tro att de fanns

"Restricted Living" by Kjell Walfridsson. Text as published by Pietisten: A Herald of Awakening and Spiritual Edification (Winter 1999). Translated from the original Swedish by Tommy Carlson.

Art credit: "Dancing in the ocean breeze," photograph by Heather Piazza (digitally altered by curator).

Curator's note: This project will conclude with a special post on January 1. If you haven't already, please take my brief survey before then regarding a possible anthology of mindfulness poetry.