Warmest of Warm Waters
Photo Credit: Briona Baker
Warmest of Warm Waters by Janae Peters
Wild to me.
That when I envision free or freed me
I see myself enveloped by the warmest of warm waters.
Sometimes it’s my body, neck down, and sometimes it’s my hair taking the dip.
In close company
With lemons, baking soda. Detox.
But whether or not it’s soft, clean locs or a soft, clean heart Freedom is rest and the warmest of warm waters.
Moments of laying it all down or soaking it all off. Otherwise, we still carry on and in us what they threw at us.
My free or freed self? Eyes closed, easy breathing, no talking. Always, there is music. No disruptions.
Always, there is finding--and receiving--what I need. It’s there.
Being free is in me, soft and clean. Underneath the layers, Waiting to be soaked off to be sure what they threw at us is gone. You have to soak a while because it can be deep in there. Keep Going, past that false freedom. Yes, through there.
Being free or freed is not surface level. It’s a deep soak, About two hours longer
Than you think is extravagant.
You can find it in the warmest of waters. In your easy breathing.
In your soft and clean.
Janae Peters
Janae lives in Cleveland, Ohio. She enters spaces with growing awareness of what it took for her to exist and to be creating a life in a way that many before her could not readily access. She presences her family (past, present, and future), those with whom she is in strong relationship, her mentors, and the intellectual mentors of her mind. She is because of them, so they are always with her. She is an educator whose background is in English Literature and who also pursued a clinical social work degree. She actively integrates antiracist and relational clinical social work into all aspects of the educational environment. She spends most of her time working with high school students and graduate students, but has recently created a fellowship program, Prolific Shifts, to serve Black educators and leaders in personal and professional growth and development within a collective/cohort community.
IG: @Janaepeters