"Hello," she said

and it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever hard

far surpassing the lengthy Psalms of the Bible

past the great poets of the ages

and prettier than the sweetest melody

"Hello," she said

and suddenly I could breathe again

like the weight of the world had been crushing my shoulders--now lifted

a hand crushing my throat like a vise--now released

scarcely able to get out of bed--now energized

"Hello," she said

and the hurts, the darkness, the wrongness of the past year

faded away,

like fog in the full beam of the afternoon sun

or the smoke of a forest fire after a healing rain

or the angry clouds after a heavy thunderstorm

"Hello," she said

and darkness felt safe

and hot was cold

and the world was new

"Hello," she said

and everything was, finally, all right.