fear for my own safety is attached to my sense of connection to other people. like it’s my responsibility to them to remain unharmed. alone in my apartment, listening to the wind, i am not afraid. i remember that being open is something i can do, shifting the state of my body, relaxing to listen and take in and meet whatever is around me. the wind blows in gusts, shaking the metal casing of the balcony. it sounds different in the overall silence of the city. there is no human activity to absorb and dampen its power.