i'm not a starfish or a clam
i'm not a crab or an urchin
i'm a sea sponge
if someone asked me who i was in the ocean of life
~
soaking in everything around me
my feelings
the feelings of others
the little things that nobody else sees
the big things that overwhelm me
the way the clouds bring a sense of calmness to a day filled with prickly thorns
~
absorbing all the good
the grey when i thought it was white. the softness. the focus. the hugs.
and
trying to fight the bad when it wants to be absorbed
too
~
yes
i am a sponge
and
i can only hope that someday
when it's time to be wrung out
that all the good and beautiful stay
and
all the bad falls silently away
with no parade of fancy
like a low damp mist whispering while it fades into the rising sun
realizing it never had a room in my heart to begin with
but
only in my hands
as i questioned it's belonging in the first place
*
Beth, this is a very powerful writing. Learning to let go and wring it all out is such a difficult Big Girl thing to do. Your photos are amazing and fabulous,,,just like YOU!
ReplyDeleteYou have no idea how much this spoke to me today... what beautiful writing.
ReplyDeletehope all those bad things fall away as you hope they will and all the beauty you see each day stays with you. it's difficult to move forward when something bad happens to us but we're the better for it when we can finally step away. beautifully written and that photo is wonderful. have a great day.
ReplyDeletei would be green, too...
ReplyDeleteA lyrical ode to hope and goodness. The photo really grabs attention!
ReplyDeletewow Beth, what a powerful post, You put such wisdom to your words. may we all just squeeze out the bad stuff. beautiful photo. hugs.
ReplyDeletebeautiful & powerful ~ and i so 'get it'. ;)
ReplyDeleteI have never seen one of these - beautiful capture, and your words add so much.
ReplyDeletepowerful words, this reminded me that children are sponges and I hope they retain the good and allow the negative in the world to wash away- just beautiful!
ReplyDeletexo,
Amelia
momsdailyretreat.com
Such a perfect image in the last part. This is really wonderful, Beth.
ReplyDeletewow, great analogy. I think I might borrow this one for the religion class I teach.
ReplyDelete:)
Ruth
I love this line... "I can only hope that someday
ReplyDeletewhen it's time to be wrung out that all the good and beautiful stay and all the bad falls silently away...."
Whew. That was gorgeous and heartfelt and so very you. And when that wringing out time comes, all that will be there for certain, will be your beautiful goodness.
ReplyDeleteI want all the bad to fall silently away. Love that. Cool photo, too.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I sometime find myself taking on the parts of others, a sponge, when I need to be an original. Now where did you find the lovely green sea creatures?
ReplyDeleteYour posts scream out the fact that yes, you definitely are a sponge.That's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written!! Love the analogy!
ReplyDeleteHugs
SueAnn
i'm always inspired when i come here. aaaaah. your words are so thought-provoking.
ReplyDeletehope you are having a wonderful summer. one love.
I love this picture- but I love all your pictures (even the bubble gum wall-ewww). I know I haven't been around to comment as much, but that doesn't mean I haven't been perusing your posts. As always- love them! Have a beautiful spongey day!!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. I love your writing. I would be green, too. It's funny, but I tell friends all the time, that "I am like a sponge"... I have to be careful what I allow to be absorbed...
ReplyDeleteI am a sponge too. Don't want to be, but there it is. But this is so very, very beautiful. And a bit hopeful, I think.
ReplyDeleteYou. are. a. poet. Yes, my friend, a poet. A poet and a woman with a beautiful heart.
ReplyDeleteYour words are so special today Beth...as is your photo...Thanks!
ReplyDeletewhat a wonderful thought. Personally I think I am a whale. Not because I am so big, not al all! But because whales have this very serious air about them, with ancientness and presence. I am a whale. I use to think I was a dolphin, but I am not funny or playful. I am a whale.
ReplyDeleteThis is I'm trying to do too.
ReplyDeleteIn one moment you have me laughing...in the next you make me feel thoughtful and pensive. Such a glowing writer you are.
ReplyDelete