ALLOWING IT TO LOOSEN Not consciously, quickly releasing the hurt of it, but allowing it times for loosening in secret…. That is the key. For seventeen years, my namesake was a close friend. In the end, when she sliced me from her prime, I became too ungrounded for grief. Now, as my strength rises, I strive less. Recurring dreams of the namesake remind me to wait, wait for my heart to unbind its hurt. Copyright © JENNY JOHNSON