I WISH I HAD WINGS by Janavi Held

I Wish I Had Wings

by Janavi Held (1965-2018)

I wish I had wings!

I'd leave this prison

of gravity behind

and go up, and up,

grazing the tops of

dazzling green trees,

swaying in the wind.

I'd soar through

the mists of bright clouds

breathing in freedom,

and moist particles

of fog and rain.

I'd turn my face

to the sun:

warm. . .

warming my insides,

breaking the prison

of flesh and bone

wide open.

I'd bathe in sweet

moon rays

and drink

the dust of stars

filling my heart

with ancient light.

I'd look down

at the swarming

Earth, but I'd never

look back.

~This poem appears in the author's posthumous poetry collection, Whispers From Her Deathbed (Golden Dragonfly Press, 2022), which you can pre-order by clicking here..~

Janavi Held (1965-2018) was a soulful dancer, artist, poet, photographer and yogini that was suddenly struck with an incurable illness in her forties, and spent the last five years of her life bedridden, writing poems. During that time, Janavi published her first poetry collection Letters to my Oldest Friend: A Book of Poetry and Photography, and had two of her poems shortlisted for the prestigious Hamilton House International Poetry Prize awarded by the University Centre Grimsby, and published in their anthology "Eternal." Janavi also contributed poems to two poetry anthologies, Bhakti Blossoms: A Collection of Contemporary Vaishnavi Poetry and GODDESS: When She Rules: Expressions by Contemporary Women. After a carefree childhood of writing poetry and wandering around with her father’s camera, Janavi dedicated herself to practicing Bhakti Yoga at age nineteen.She held a bachelor’s degree from Goddard College where she studied poetry, photography, and media studies. Janavi passed away at the age of 53 in Colorado, leaving behind a voluminous oeuvre spanning across various mediums of expression.Some of her poems have been compiled into a posthumous poetry collection "Whispers From Her Deathbed" (Golden Dragonfly Press, 2022). You may read more of her poems and view her artwork on her website www.janaviheld.com

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