I’m checking in
Checking in with a friend
Checking on myself
Checking out of my
Negative spaces
Checking hard
On a long view
Patient
Kind
Warm
And welcoming
Finding the right words
The right hands to
Write long hand to send
Long distance
To a good friend
I’m checking
In on.

And she’s been checking in on me!
When she’s tired
When she’s overworked
When she’s down
When the bills are due
When she’s up all night
When getting out of bed isn’t easy
While she’s walking
In the woods and on her break
She takes time
To take a moment
To check in on me
And these few words
Have made all the difference
This kindness
Has given me a new lease on life.

I was at my wits end
Needing a friend
and by God
She’s
Checking in.

And I can’t tell you how new life feels.
I can’t tell you what it means
Do not dispise the day of small beginnings
A river might just run
Right through it
A raft to jump on
A song
Midsummer.

I’m checking in.
She’s checking in.
What a difference.