“The self you leave behind
is only a skin you have outgrown.
Don’t grieve for it.
Look to the wet, raw, unfinished
self, the one you are becoming.
The world, too, sheds its skin:
politicians, cataclysms, ordinary days.
It’s easy to lose this tenderly
unfolding moment. Look for it
as if it were the first green blade
after a long winter. Listen for it
as if it were the first clear tone
in a place where dawn is heralded by bells.
And if all that fails,
wash your own dishes.
Rinse them.
Stand in your kitchen at your sink.
Let cold water run between your fingers.
Feel it.”
~ Pat Schneider
WINTER, YOSEMITE VALLEY: The first blade of grass pushes it’s way through a layer of snow and ice in Cooks’ Meadow in the Yosemite Valley March 15, 2010 (Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times)
What a *perfect* photo!!
Thanks Lori. I thought it captured the essence of the poem. Take care
Indeed. Don’t ya just love it when a plan comes together?! 😀
I truly do Lori. Take care.
I love this! The poem is so relateable, beautiful and touches my heart just as the breathtaking photo does. Thank you for this!
Thanks Jan. I have come to really like the writings of Pat Schneider