Born without skin
no protective membrane
no myelin sheath
for exposed nerve endings
any, all stimulation
is surfeit;
becomes withdrawn,
quietness.
A single word
careless, unintended
spoken easily
wounds mortally;
offenses, perceptions
of offenses, overwhelm,
no defense for self or
against self.
Fragility:
hidden, nestled,
nurtured
within a solitude
of shyness;
a robin’s egg heart
chipped easily
broken blue.
For the High Calling’s Random Act of Poetry, the prompt was to write a poem about one of your struggles, but to be gentle with yourself. (Read the entire post for the prompt; the idea is the concept of “gentle leadership.”)
Photograph: Robin’s Nest, Charlotte North Carolina, by Daniel Marquand, via Wikipedia.
12 comments:
Very swell sir, very revealing, very convicting..."a robin's egg heart."
Glynn, this is so very sweet. And, knowing you, I can't help thinking how a little bird, when he grows...well, he soars.
And you do too.
Yes! "broken blue" makes it!
The most beautiful of fragile shell ...
Such an interesting take on the RAP.
We all come into the world the same, somehow learn to build a protective shell, a shell we all need. Some are adept at opening it and bringing out the best; others are intent to crack it to pieces.
My favorite line: "heart / chipped easily / broken blue".
Hearing a line from that old song, "Don't know much about..." poetry, but I do love that photo and your words here.
I'm with Maureen. This is such a wonderful variation. You are really starting to get this sideways poetry stuff, Glynn.
I've never seen a robin's egg, but the idea of one living hatchling next to a broken egg is powerful.
"broken blue"
I liked that.
I always loved watching the Robins hatch in Spring when I was a little girl. Out back in the lilac bushes. :)
What a great comparison. Love this, Glynn.
That created a strong emotional response in me. So much there. I'll be printing this to ponder because it resonates deeply.
"A single word
careless, unintended
spoken easily
wounds mortally;"
Reminds me of the parts in James about the tongue. That always gets me: how it's just one word, but careless, and even unintended, but it wounds mortally. And I have to be extra careful because of that part that's so true: it is very easily spoken.
'A single word
careless, unintended
spoken easily
wounds mortally;'
this hit me.
i think mis-communication and even the limits of language is one of the greatest effects of the fall...it adds fuel to distrust, and brings to life a thousand other evils...
i absolutely loved the entire poem. thank you.
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