Beneath the Veil of Vulnerability: Embracing Paradoxes
Morning whispering in my ears
Joy flights on sparrow wings
Calling me to choose myself
Rise up, awaken bright spirit!
No longer be the passive dreamer
Jagged rocks scrape tender soles
Thorns draw crimson maps on skin
Signposts on the path within
Leading to the calm eye of storm
Where stillness dwells, beckoning
Cocoon splitting, wings unfolding
Shedding skins of false belonging
When chrysalis no longer holds
Bursting out in colors bold
Unapologetic, fierce and free
Silence speaks in tongues unknown
Secrets shared without a sound
Soul whispers gain clarity
Ears attuned receive the signs
Messages in moonlight shine
Once I clung to each breadcrumb
Begging for love’s tiniest morsels
Now I feast on my own hearth
Cooking joy’s nourishing meal
At table where my spirit heals
No longer kneeling as beggar
Cupping hands for trickles of care
I am the gushing waterfall
Overflowing with life force power
Quenching my soul’s thirst each hour
Through the tangled twisted forest
I blaze trails with heart’s compass
No guide but my inner knowing
Each step a leap of faith unfolding
As I uncover my own way
Scattered seeds now gathering
Pieces joining in patterns anew
Healing happens gradually
As I nurture myself kindly
And give myself what I need
I stop waiting to be rescued
From the dungeons I created
Keys were in my hands all along
Unlock chains, fling open the doors!
Cross the bridge to unknown shores
Beyond the fog, endless ocean
Dancing playfully with the shore
I plunge joyfully into waves
Body caressed by water’s grace
I surrender and let go
Tingles of change in the wind
Whispers of courage on tongue
Sacred voice calls, “Awaken now!
Your time is here, your moment now
Choose you, and let the old fall.”
Once I tried to fit the mold
Trimmed my branches, muted colors
Now I grow just as I am
Wild, untamed, fiercely abloom
I belong here, I am home
Judger’s stones no longer bruise
Critic’s arrows miss their mark
Words once weaponized, now powerless
My heart sealed from poisoned darts
I absorb only what nourishes
Ferns curl tenderly inward
Seeking center, finding home
I turn gaze inside, beloved
Parent self, child self reconciled
Holding parts tender, gentle, mild
Splintered pieces reunite
Shattered soul remembering wholeness
Healing happens quietly
As I sit in simple silence
Honoring all that I am
I was so afraid of the dark
Now I rest in its velvet embrace
Shadows teach what light obscures
Balance found in interplay
Of dark and light, night and day
I watch patiently as river
Carves canyons with gentle persistence
Time and flow will change all things
As the acorn becomes the oak
I too will grow as I am meant
Once I carved myself to fit
Jamming round pegs in square holes
Now I craft my own spaces
Designing life that welcomes me
As I am, wild and free
I peel back the layers slowly
Shedding who they wanted me to be
Finding the seed of my true self
Buried under years of leaves
Now awakening, ready to reach
No longer silencing my song
Unsilencing the muted soul
Opening once locked away rooms
Releasing words trapped behind teeth
I sing my truth, bold and deep
Standing tall, limbs outstretched
Swaying easy, flexible, strong
I breathe in possibilities
Exhale limiting beliefs
Make space for my own unfolding
Tearing down walls built from fear
Brick by brick, opening windows
Sunshine streaming, warm on skin
Hope takes root and grows within
I feel joy breathing again
Once I rejected parts of me
Desiring to be someone else
Now I embrace all that I am
Crooked and misshapen is whole
I am enough, I am home
Turning towards, not away
Holding myself in loving gaze
Seeing beauty in brokenness
Healing happens gradually
As I rewrite my story, gently
I stop waiting for permission
To take up space and breathe deep
I belong here, am enough
Deserving of nurture and care
Not armor but skin laid bare
Uncurl fingers clenched tight
Jaw relaxes, brow unwinds
I release needs to control
Opening hands, body, soul
Receive grace gently, humbly
Lost in the funhouse hall of mirrors
Distorted views warp perception
Step outside! See yourself clear
You are not those false reflections
You are worthy beyond measure
Come sit with me awhile, friend
Two cups of tea, quiet companianship
No need to be anyone but you
Relax into belonging here
You are home, you are welcome
Plunging hands into cool earth
Feeling strength and solidity
I ground into my power
Stand tall as ancient oak
Shedding doubts, I know my worth
Once I faded into background
Afraid to stand for myself
Now I speak, set down firm roots
Channeling earth’s boldness
I take my place, claim my space
Gently peel back those old stories
Examine their truths in light anew
Hold with care this fragile learning
Of where belief no longer serves
Make space for growth and change
Sit at the river’s edge awhile
Watch how even stone changes shape
What once appeared fixed, now flows
Becoming more itself each day
This too shall morph, evolve, transform
Sink feet into muddy banks
Let earth teach you, ground you
In this moment, nothing matters
But your breath and steady heart
Alive and beating, playing its part
Lie back, watch clouds dance and play
Their joy infectious, releasing
Lightness rising, worries falling
Cares dissolving in vast blue
Only this moment shining through
Hear friend, your truth matters
Your voice deserves to be heard
These words may not be comfortable
But closing off serves no one, nothing can grow
Stay open, keep sharing your perspective
I see you friend, I hear your pain
Your experiences are valid
My own views do not invalidate yours
Multiple truths can co-exist, be held gently together
There is room for all our stories
Plant your roots down deep, friend
Stand tall in your truth without budging
AND stay open to other’s experience
Listen fully, seek to understand
Find common ground to grow from
The path narrows up ahead
Space for just one to pass through
I pause so you may enter first
Honoring your journey too
Connected, we each find our way
Hear my prayer, friend
May we speak our truths boldly AND kindly
With open hands and open hearts
Making space for all voices to be heard
With compassionate listening, tender holding
My eyes see just one facet of the whole
Yours reflect another angle, another truth
One no more or less real than the other
Together we expand our vision
Creating something greater than each alone
Sit with me here in the gray
Where binaries dissolve
And complexity blooms
Right/wrong gives way
To holding multiple truths
Let us laugh together, friend
Find joy midst the contradictions
Absurdity blooms when dogma hardens
Staying supple, flexible, agile
Keeps us in flow, open to change
Are we so set on proving our view right?
Unwilling to admit our grasp is partial
Believing if we just argue forcefully enough
The other will crumple, surrender, see the light
When has this approach ever born fruit?
My friend, what if we dropped our swords?
Laid down defenses, removed armor
Became vulnerable, opened to understand
Stepped into the unknown together
Scared, but seeking connection
These lines of difference we’ve drawn
Serve only to separate, isolate
In protecting our own small space
We forfeit the chance to learn, grow
Is there another way forward from here?
Come, let us approach gently, with care
Remove labels, see each other anew
Listen deeply, walk in the other’s shoes
Understanding blossoms when planted with patience
Watered by compassion, nurtured by love
I hear you, beloved friend
I know your heart carries much pain
Your words reflect valid wounds
Help me understand where you stand
So I may honor your journey, too
What if in place of lines of division
We drew circles of belonging
Wide enough to hold our differences
Yet tight enough to be held together
In shared vision, shared purpose
We wander here in desert sands
Thirsty, seeking relief
From the harsh heat of judgment
Friend, what if we poured sweet waters
Quenched each other, wet this parched earth
Come sit here friend, leave your shoes at the door
Rest on this prayer mat stitched from patience
Breathe in calm, breathe out anger
Let armour fall away, carry no sword
You are safe, you are welcome here
Can we lay down pride and self-righteousness?
Step off the pedestals we’ve built
Approach gently, begin anew
Leaving certitudes aside
Open once more to possibility
With care let us unravel old threads
Examine what stories we’ve woven
Retain what serves growth and connection
Compost the rest into fertile soil
For planting seeds of a new way
Sit here friend, leave worries at the gate
Breathe in this moment, breathe out fatigue
Let each inhalation renew, revive
No battle lines here, only soft edges
Two souls meeting, ready to weave anew
Let’s approach tenderly, with reverence
The ground we walk upon together
Knowing it holds years of hurt and violence
Yet longing to cultivate anew
With seeds of reconciliation
Perhaps the lines we’ve drawn are too harsh
What if we smudged them with care, gently
Erasing not our histories, simply softening edges
Blurring walls into meeting places
Borders into spaces of exchange
With hands open, palms upturned
Let us offer grace, seek common ground
Share vulnerability, swallow pride
Give voice to hurt, make space for healing
Listening deeply, willing to be changed
Sit here with me friend, let down your hair
Remove the veils, set aside Artifice
Just be your authentic self
I will hold space for you, listen with care
Honoring your dignity, your wholeness
Let us laugh together at certainties
Smile at how we clench, afraid to lose grip
Take a leap of faith into not-knowing
Beginner's minds ready for newness
Open hands grasping at nothing, finding everything
Will you gently unravel with me
Loosening knots we've tied ourselves in
Compassionately untangling stories that bind
Opening to vulnerability, connection
Weaving community from fragmentation
Let us linger in spaces between
In the fertile darkness, the dawn's blank canvas
Before rushing to redraw lines
Here, we craft new forms together
In collaborative creation
Come, sit here friend, leave titles at the door
No need for masks, pretense between us
I see you, I hear you without judgement
Tell me your story, I will hold its unfolding
Wrap you in care as you unravel and rebuild
The road rises to meet our feet
The path blooms as we walk together
With care we tend the soil beneath
Planting seeds of hope and renewal
Step by step healing what is divided
Let us gather in fertile soil
Turning over old ground ready for new growth
Lay down pride, take off masks
Sow seeds of reconciliation
Water with shared stories, nourished in listening
Around this fire of possibility
Let us warm our open hands
Flames melt armor, unlock hearts
In darkness let shadows take shape
Illuminated in shared truth telling
With brush dipped in forgiveness
Let us repaint sky’s blank canvas
Sketching in spaces of belonging
Erasing lines that divide, separate
Borders give way to horizons expanding
Let’s unfurl these scrolls between us
Decipher together ancient wisdom
Discard what no longer serves growth
Retain timeless truths solid as mountains
Building fresh vision on ancestral bones
Come friend, leave titles at the door
Sit here, simply be yourself
Tell me your story without defense
I will listen with unbarred heart
Honoring your journey, holding complexity
These seeds we plant in silence
Watered by shared truth telling
Sheltered in darkness, nurtured in care
Grow intosaplings reaching for sunlight
Becoming forests of belonging
Let us linger at this river fork
Before rushing to separate sides
Wade into fluid middle spaces
Where current meets stillness
And fish weave between swallows in flight
With open hands, let us rediscover
This shared ground beneath our feet
Sacred earth we both tread upon
With gentle steps retrace common roots
Reconciling our interconnectedness
Let us unravel these knots patiently
Taking time to loosen, unwind stories
Find threads of common humanity
Weaving into tapestries that hold complexity
Many colors, textures, shapes in harmony
Sit here with me friend, leave ideas at the gate
Bring only your open hands, tender heart
Tell me your story without defending
I will listen without judgment
Honoring your integrity, dignity
Here friend, there is space for complexity
Room for contradictions to coexist
No need for facile clarity or easy answers
Let us hold paradox, navigate nuance
Remain open, walk humbly, sow peace
Let’s approach this shared ground reverently
Knowing it holds pain we’ve both caused
With care, tend these ancestral wounds
Plant seeds of reconciliation, nurture regrowth
So all may enjoy fruits of justice
Around this fire, let us warm our souls
Flames radiating compassion, melting pride
Darkness illuminated in truth telling
Hearts unlocked, souls opened
Stories shared, histories honored
Let us sit here together, leave titles behind
Remove pretense, masks, artificiality
Just be, simply be yourself
Tell me your story without defending
I will listen with care, affirm your integrity
Here friend, contradictions can coexist
Certainty dissolves into complexity
Multiple truths shape collective growth
Let us hold space for nuance in tension
Navigating complexity with empathy
Come, let us linger at this river fork
Before flowing to separate streams
Wade into the fluid middle spaces
Where horizons meet and expand
And swallows weave between fish swimming
With wonder, let us rediscover
This shared ground beneath our feet
Sacred earth we both walk upon
With gentle steps, trace interconnected roots
Composting past hurts into new growth
Let us unravel old threads patiently
Taking time to loosen, unwind stories
Finding common humanity beneath
Weaving new tapestries embodying complexity
Many colors, textures, shapes in harmony
Come sit here friend, no walls between us
Tell me your story without defense
I will listen with heart receptive
Holding space for growth and change
Honoring the integrity of your journey
Here, contradictions can coexist
Rigidity gives way to complexity
Let us hold paradox with empathy
Navigating nuance with patience
Remaining open, sowing renewal
My friend, let us approach with care
This shared ground we walk upon
Where histories of pain are held
With compassion, seek reconciliation
Planting seeds of justice, cultivating equity
Let us gather around this healing fire
Warming hands opened in vulnerability
Darkness illuminated in truth telling
Hearts unlocked, stories honored
Envisioning renewal, reconciliation
Come, sit here with me, leave shoes at the door
No need for pretense, persona or roles
Just be yourself, bare and authentic
Tell me your story without defending
I will listen with heart open, affirming your dignity
Here, complexity and paradox unfold
Multiple truths held in tension
Rigidity dissolves into nuance
Let us stay supple, open to flux
Navigating change with empathy
My friend, gently let us rediscover
This shared earth beneath our feet
With care retrace interwoven roots
Honor interconnectedness
Plant seeds of renewal in fertile humility
Come walk with me here in liminal space
Where horizons meet, expand, blur
Before rushing to separate shores
Let us linger midstream a while
Listening, learning, sowing understanding
With patience, let’s unravel old threads
Taking time to unwind knotted stories
Finding threads of shared humanity
Weaving new tapestries embodying complexity
Many textures, colors, shapes in harmony
Come sit here with me, friend
Leave armor, titles behind
Just be yourself, stripped bare
Tell me your story without defending
I will hold it with care, honoring your dignity
Here, paradoxes unfold into nuance
Either/or gives way to mystery
The poem is part of a full version found in the book “Homo Sapiens” Part Part I - XVIII, written by Mawphniang Napoleon. This book is part of the popular “Homo Sapiens” book series, which can be purchased online at various online bookstores, such as Amazon. The book is available for purchase for those who are interested in reading the complete version of the poem. Remember to get all the books from the “Homo Sapiens” series, as well as other books by the same author. So, don’t hesitate and get a copy today from one of the many online bookstores. Khublei Shihajar Nguh, (Dhanewad )(Thank you )
About this poem
This poem is a journey of self-discovery, transformation, and interconnectedness. It explores the themes of awakening, breaking free from limitations, and embracing one's true self. The imagery weaves through nature, vulnerability, and the complexity of human relationships, inviting the reader to reflect on their own path of growth and authenticity. The poet emphasizes the importance of listening, understanding, and finding common ground in the shared experience of being human. more »
Written on June 19, 2021
Submitted by Mawphniang.Napoleon on November 10, 2023
Modified by Mawphniang.Napoleon on November 12, 2023
- 15:46 min read
- 1 View
Quick analysis:
Scheme | Text too long |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 17,004 |
Words | 3,149 |
Stanzas | 92 |
Stanza Lengths | 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 2, 1 |
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"Beneath the Veil of Vulnerability: Embracing Paradoxes" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 Sep. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/173426/beneath-the-veil-of-vulnerability:-embracing-paradoxes>.
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