Nick Allison

When I awoke today,
I looked to the east
and there was the sun,
punctual as ever.

I opened the back door,
pleased to hear the birds
singing their songs of morning
into the cool, quiet air.

Breathing in, I feel my lungs
expand, contract. Steady,
the beat of my heart,
a small promise of existence.

The world goes on as it does,
unburdened by the weight of our fears,
chirps the chickadee
from her perch in the cedar elm,
high above it all.

Nick Allison is a writer and editor based in Austin, Texas. You can find more of his work at TheTruthAboutTigers.com.

This poem appeared in What We Hold On To: Poems of Coping, Connection, and Carrying On — Winter 2026, published by The Chaos Section Poetry Project.  You can read the full collection or download a free PDF of the chapbook here.