Almost Wild

I feel the tendrils of my wild mane breaking loose from its modest tie 

I feel my bare feet yearning for the forest floor

My heart ready to leap naked into a river

My voice clenched to resist the urge to howl at the moon

I have traded in my perfume for lavender and cedarwood

I have relinquished any need to cover over my body odor or mask my dark spots 

I have started to listen to the rhythmic drumming of my heart

The singing of light swirling in me and around me 

Yet I look at my freshly shaven legs and bare armpits 

A tangible reminder of tamed habit formed from years of conditioning 

And I wonder

What is holding me back

Decorum?

A need for order? 

To be accepted?

I have spent the last 35 years of my life trying to fit in and follow suit

Now this yearning to break free

What is stopping me

From whom do I really crave acceptance? 

Oh to let the untamed animal of my body feast on the light of the stars 

To dance wildly under a darkening sky

Lit only by the flames of a fire 

In the heat of midsummer

Oh how I long

To be

Completely free