Orange Juice Contemplation Poem by Leah Ayliffe

You'd think she was being sarcastic as she muttered under her breath 'life is tough', looking into the bottom of the glass. Orange juice on a hot Spanish day seems ideal.
But soon you realize as the cigarette is lit and the feet walk lazily, life is hard for no reason. Is there ever a good reason for panic? This isn't panic though.. this is the reflection of panic from earlier this morning when she woke and couldn't breath. What was wrong? Nothing. Nothing. That is what's hard.
As the hours passed into afternoon, she felt a calming that always comes, like the sun always rises. A trip to the market, a new recipe for the night and a cheap bottle of wine for company. A sunset cleaning session with music blaring sad core melodies. This was a simple kind of happiness and she drowned in its serenity.
Life is tough, she thought again in her mind, resting against a pillow with purple flowers. It is tough, it is the only way to ensure we keep moving forward. She smiled at this idea. Contradictions have always been her specialty, she's grown quite fond of them. Easiness is nice, but it's not real, it's not life. The spiral upwards that is the human experience has become painfully beautiful. Hardened ice then soft feathers, soft yet hard, or maybe it's the other way around. Whichever way it goes, it teeters back and forth often like a rocking cradle. Tender spirits are stronger than the cold stone hearts. The floral design that scatters her mind release the dream of what already is. It already is. To carry on is enough. The panic is just a temporary storm before the sweetness of candy sky dawns.