Pause

She reached out to the swirling world

from within hers;

arms outstretched,

trying, once again,

to hold on to something

that could slow it all down.

She had grown tired..

of the blurry faces,

the hushed voices,

the laughter,

the colours,

the noise that rose and folded into itself.

It was all right there,

so vividly alive,

but she couldn’t quite step into it.

Not yet.

All she wanted

was to stop time;

just for a little while..

long enough

to be still,

to be quiet,

to have enough

for herself.