Sunburned, hugged and overpeopled

my mind drifts on the storm breeze.

i camp out in bed for the day, surrounded by a sea of

crumpled love poem,

fairy lights duct tape a drying carpet,

A stack of bills on the altar

and my guitar stretched out on brightly-colored silks,

fit to dress a queen on a wedding day.

Resolution festival filled my pockets

with the harmonious hum of the anthill, one heart moving through a thousand hands and dancing feet

with a steady stream of effortless generosity as we pop up in each others’ days,

bearing ingenious devices to break into your own car, food you didn’t even ask for, night serenades reiki sessions and pointed fingers to the secret showers at midnight

with the glittering eyes of dozens of people telling me of the four miracles that happened to them today

with the one answer to the one question, “what is tantric massage?”, and a hundred colorful ways of saying “it is the fastest way to God”

with the quirky joy of giving sessions to a background of screams, drums, chants, interrupted by visiting beetles and a deluge of rain flooding right to my toes, walls ripped off by the wind and still the radiant faces of clients waving vigorously from the crowd and calling out “it was extraordinary!”

with my longing gazes for the hundreds of children, flame-dancers, capoeiristas, rainbow octopuses and vegan cooks i did not have the time to meet and fall in love with

with the solemn eyes of all the strangers who until five minutes ago had never heard of sexuality framed as holy, and whose first reaction was to take my hands and thank me for doing this work. took my breath away every time.

with the songs of the closing ceremony, washing over me as I take down my stall, still ringing in my ears as I send slightly guilty, late new-year wishes to my mother, acutely aware of the privilege of being sunburned, hugged, over-peopled and too busy for digital

with the sweet knowing that i was pulled into that vortex out of the blue, ten days ago, to get a taste of the medecine i share, and

receive, receive, receive.

thank you.