Not a single star in the sky
Just heavy grey clouds
The air is cold in a way that doesn’t hurt
But instead wakes us as we laugh
Outside the dojo space and time tonight
Calm tsurune, soft murmurs
Glue and fibres
Bamboo and metal
All were together, quietly
Their smiles were all real
I’m sure of it
Isolated together
The rest of the world disappeared
For a blink of time
We made that space our own
In our own way
We made it a different kind of sacred
I look up again at the heavy damp gray
I can’t feel its oppression as I move towards home
Through slush on greasy asphalt
Smiling like they smiled at me
(On the inside now too)
I start the engine
Bringing me back to the world
Somehow changed from how I left it
Now I know I’m here
I know I’m really here
My blood is still moving
And at least for tonight
I’m really one of us
December 16, 2025
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