Introspeculation

 

Do the trials and tribulations

with which we are afflicted

leave us doomed and damaged

or more spiritually gifted

Can we reach inside the mirror

to subtract wrong from right

root through our dark spaces

unearth our innermost light

 

Is there peril in visiting places

where our minds fear to go

or a revelation in the learning

from diving deep into the low

Just how far can we stretch

the limits of breadth and length

to resurface into a new world

of understanding and strength

 

Can the trips into our shadows

away from emotional health

bring wisdom and perspective

and a greater internal wealth

Do we dare peer into the core

peel away all the layers of tape

or settle in the dying embers

slowly watching the fire escape

 

Is something intrinsically born

innate to the DNA of souls

compelling us to our struggles

regarding the patching of holes

Do we plot out paths to stars

or settle for learning to cope

stand as dried pillars of salt

or rise up as bastions of hope

 

s. paul  (March 2024