Monday, August 26, 2024

August 26th

"O Lord, all my longing is known to you; 
   my sighing is not hidden from you." Psalm 38:9

convinced they know me
so well, they easily accept
those answers of how fine
i am doing, or that life is 
simply going along swimmingly.
but i have become so adept
at keeping secret what is
lodged in my heart, i am 
so cautious in letting anyone
get near my soul, for fear 
they would hear the rattling
of the skeletons which are
not bones and the whispers
of ghosts which abide in me.
yet,
like an oyster farmer who knows
that there is a pearl of grace
deep within my crusty shell,
like a teacher who realizes
that the smiling child who never
says anything in class has 
stories which will melt one's heart,
you calmly, patiently, persistently
wait, until we are ready to open up.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

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