Liminal Spaces
Cheryl Goeckermann
Like airports
Liminal spaces are the “in-between”
Neither here nor there
Everyone on their way to somewhere else
​
A necessary place
Yet a space no one longs for
If given a magic wand
All would choose to be somewhere else
Avoid the “in-between”
​
Similar to life
We dislike the “in-between”
We prefer to stay solidly in the comfort of the
known But like an airport - it is a necessary space
​
We leave behind the past
The people and places that no longer quite fit
The separation painful at times
At other times celebratory
Often a combination of both
And so we enter the “in between”
The liminal space so necessary in life
Sometimes aware of where we are
headed But more often not
We hang there
Waiting
As if in an airport
One can fight it
Complain about the wait, the inefficiency, the discomfort Or one can enjoy the space
Make it beautiful
Breathe, rest and relax
Soon enough the destination will become more
clear The plane will be boarding
We will all be “on our way”
And the liminal space
The “in between”
Will be no more
Cheryl Goeckermann is a family medicine physician, who lives and works in Baraboo, WI. She enjoys writing poetry in her free time, and finds it a great way to express her thoughts.
Mikayla Faivre is from North Freedom, Wisconsin, and is majoring in Animal Science. She has always been enamored by storytelling and spends her spare time reading or writing. Mikayla is a recipient of the David Cole Award in Creative Writing. This is her second year as an editor for the Spirit Lake Review. Find her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikfaivre/