Hear the sounds. The drip of the evening dew off the leaves. The chirps of the listen-ins. The hiss of the steams in the surrounding hot springs. Let your mind drift.
Your arms have disconnected from your body. Your legs float in the cosmos. You are one with the stars.
Smell the scents. The light salt of the water. The sweet of the cherry-bite trees along the edge of the spring. The sharp of the gathering ozone of morning. Clear your mind of everything.
Breath in slowly. Inhale space. Fill your lungs with nothing.
Hold, let the worries and cares cross into the vacuum.
Breath out slowly. Release your old life. Forget.
All there is left in the waters is who you should be.
The mantra continued to be vibrated directly into Fhergus’ inner ear. Some people swore by this nonsense, he just needed to bring his brain cycles into a calm enough state to pass the psych-evals. Come on, calm faster!
(words 162 – first published 10/3/2022 – from a picture prompt for a Facebook writing group. Aim is about 50 words)