Love, and the Aikidoka

Stepping onto the mat,

coolness beneath my feet and sudden intense awareness over

every inch of my body.

Where it is, where it should be.

I breathe deeply; clear my head of what the day has set forth

or what the night will deliver.
Bow.

The first partnering,

toes on the line, six feet apart.

The rush I feel as he comes at me like fever, and I turn.

Unfaltering his energy follows, unwavering his energy drops him.

I think: do anything yo uwant to me,

feet on the ground, mind your balance, your center. 

Kamae.

The afterglow,

aching and heart pounding, muscles never aware of, sore.

My weary body at breaking point, a moment more unbearable. 

It passionately perseveres.

I look around the room: a family cloaked in black and white

and my heart as full as the moon.

Yamea.

-JWilliams 2009