…When we give, if the palm stays open,
We are in the perfect position to receive.
I am always keen to hear about myself from other people
Because I list my own traits as questions.
I write stories about other people because it reveals something
About myself, to myself, without being too accusatory.
I use the words almost and nearly because everything
In relation to me is not yet actualized.
Not until someone else sees it and names it.
Not until the external world tells me I am good.
A three line anecdote:
This year, despite everything,
I saw the bottom of my pockets.
Of course I cried.
When friends tell me I deserve the help I need,
When does it cease to feel like eureka?
A four line parable:
I can remember holding my father’s hand when he cried.
I can remember taking someone’s final exam so they could mourn.
And when I slow down,
I remember everything.
…When we give, if the palm stays open,
We are in the perfect position to receive.
I want to know I have given you enough
To deserve what you have given me.
I want to know my palm didn't open in the way that the toddler reaches for shiny things,
But in the way that the Good Samaritan in Christian folklore opened his hand to lift up the traveler.
I want to be the best I can be.
I want to spend my life trying.