Why must you be certain?
When they ask you what you’ve done,
they hope to hear that you’re occupied—
climbing the tallest of mountains,
with the heaviest of boulders on your back,
and the roughest of sand at your feet.
So when they look to you,
a lump forms in your throat,
because you don’t want to climb one peak
but experience them all.
Can’t you smell the flowers in the grove of one mountain
and hear the birds chirping at the tip of another?
Can’t you ski down snowy slopes of one mountain
and bask in the yellow sunshine of another?
I wish you uncertainty,
not knowing the mountains to come.
I hope you climb a powdery mountain
and make snow angels until your nose turns pink
Next, I hope you run downhill
and believe that you can hear the trees talking
through their network of fungi.
I urge you to run until you fall to your knees,
and can feel the air fill and leave your tired lungs.
Soon after, travel to the top of a new hill,
and see baby elephants hold their mothers’ trunks.
Why be limited by certainty
when sea turtle hatchlings instinctively find the ocean,
guided by moonlight?
I hope you stumble upon a pond,
one where swans swim
with necks curved in heart shapes,
and all around fireflies synchronize their lights,
brightening your path as the sun goes down.
I hope you get to see orangutans use leaves as umbrellas
and flamingos entwine their necks in a gentle embrace.
I hope you see honeybees dance to share secrets of food
and mother giraffes whisper to their newborns.
Run away as fast as you can,
and watch as the squirrels accidentally plant forests and groves.
Watch the baby koalas that cling to their mothers
and the young sunflowers that dance with the sun.
You don’t have to climb one mountain—
but rather, be one in the mountain range.
I wish you the uncertainty of flowing
where your body takes you,
and climbing where your heart sings.
Inspiration for Creative Film Project
Available on Tiktok - @Libbsvids
Google Drive: I Wish You Uncertainty
Tiktok: I Wish You Uncertainty