Erika Barrios
As I stretch the bowstring back,
I hear a warm whisper brush against my ear.
The wind beckons me to aim higher.
I know what I am doing
when a burst of air makes my knees buckle,
Check your posture, it seems to say,
jabbing at my false assurance.
Again I steady my aim above the expanse of grass,
the host of peculiar outgrowths, targets staring
back at me like hypnotic eyes.
This time I am distracted by the trees,
their shuffling dance with shimmying leaves,
performing against the backdrop of sky.
I know what I am doing:
finding freedom from the focus. Without guilt
there is joy in the distance.
Determined this time, I pull back my hair,
even roll up my sleeves. I point my arrow
lower than I learned I should, knowing
I won’t pull back this time. So I let go
and trust the wind knows what it is doing.
Erika Barrios is a senior majoring in English Literature and the editor in chief of Helicon for the 2019-2020 academic year. She enjoys poetry (obviously), running, thrift shopping, and curating the perfect Spotify playlist to match her mood.
