by Malak Ghaddar
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If I had to choose
I would choose to be a dandelion or a star
A dandelion, who for a ten-day lifespan, in human scale
Is there
Beautifully there
Fully there
Even when no one else notices.
And when she's ready,
Her old white puffball
Shatters into a hundred fragments
Each one surrendering to the wind’s cadence,
Ready to take root
In unknown soil
And begin again.
Or a star,
So distant
Yet her light keeps shining
For thousands of years after she's gone.
Malak Ghaddar came to Callanish through a friend after being diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. She has participated in two weeklong retreats. Malak continues to return almost monthly for circles, meditation, or counseling. Malak is a physician currently pursuing training in palliative care.