Inside Out

A new kind of naked,

Unseductive, maybe even unattractive,

But somehow, feeling honest for the first time.

 

Now don’t get me wrong,

I am not a dishonest person,

But I am not stupid either, I have to live in the world.

 

Taking each day showing all my faults with no sensitivity to others, is not my way.

I have to live in the world, did I say that before?

However, this new shewing is different.

 

My whole self is not contained by a skin,

By clothes, make-up (on the occasions I wear it),

Or by a willingness to be unwilling to share it.

 

This is me.

Unmodified, uncensored, uncovered

At last.

 

Now, what am I supposed to do with this …

Not a question, but an exploration,

Towards God and the image He made me in.

 

For this is what I am drawn towards,

And now the masks have been surgically removed,

Like a blind man, I can now see.

 

If not clearly … yet.

Gentle

Gentle,

Like the ocean surf,

Caressing distant sand one last time,

before returning to its body.

 

Gentle,

Like a mother’s kiss,

Which says all will be well.

And it is.

 

Gentle,

Like a returned smile,

Even when involuntary,

Especially when undeserved.

 

Gentle,

Like a summer breeze,

Warming a face hidden in the shadows,

Now kissed by the sun.

 

Gentle,

Like an unencumbered embrace,

When grace flows as souls meet,

Speaking togetherness, in silence.

 

Gentle,

Only possible through grace,

For all else is for me,

Not the other.

 

Lord, let me be gentle.

Each day, through you,

And with all others.