Snakeskin…
We all grapple
with bittersweet memories,
they strike us inside
the guts
And keep us snake-wrapped unwittingly,
Till one day,
we
see the eyes of the python.
Oops-a-daisy… it is
blind!
Quickly, we tuck the insipid skin
with the skeletons of the cupboard,
Get off another
floating log...
And slowly, erase the footprints
of the demon serpentine!
Thank goodness.
In the limitless
black- a few logs float,
And give a fantastic
refuge!
Letting go, flowing
more,
also
saves the pate of the ego
The days feel good-
ah, all’s well!
Laughter returns.
I’ve done a lot of
stripping.
Peeling away layers and
layers of the ego
—all the accumulated ‘bittersweet’ stuff.
It’s been liberating;
The whole external
world becomes less shaky
In between, the rope
and the noose!
In one of the Narnia tales by Lewis, a character (Eustice?) becomes a dragon and he is told the only way to become a boy again is to shed his skin. He does but only shallowly. The lion tells him that he will help, and tears into him layer after layer to get to the boy.
ReplyDeleteSome times we have to shed deeper - to truly find that liberation.
Love your use of snakeskin and shedding, water that shelters, and the return of laughter. I, too, have "done a lot of stripping." Your poem is warm and hospitable!
ReplyDeleteI know what you're saying Panchali. The ego has to be released to live a fruitful, happy life. Thanks!
ReplyDelete..."between the rope and the noose" ... what a wonderful phrase. Much to savor in your beautiful poem!
ReplyDeleteI love this! Especially your closing lines. We spend our early years layering, and our later years shedding..........to uncover our true essence.
ReplyDeletePanachali,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sherry..all those early years of layering..then,shedding..I wish I cou;d have been stronger in responses years ago..instead of letting bitterness loom..today, I take no excuses..But respond timely and as my heart dictates..
Luv your metaphor of stripping away and the image of the snake skin. Your ideas resonate throughout. A very wholesome write; Panchali
ReplyDeleteMuch💖love
Brilliant imagery of snakeskin & stripping to reach the essence.
ReplyDeleteYes one must live in the moment...toss all the baggage.Shedding the snake skin is a great metaphor.
ReplyDeleteAh, those bittersweet memories we all have....good to give oneself permission to put some memories in the past and realize that was then...and to live in the now without the pain of the past haunting us.
ReplyDeleteI’ve done a lot of stripping.
ReplyDeletePeeling away layers and layers of the ego
—all the accumulated ‘bittersweet’ stuff.
Such deep emotion in these lines.. Beautifully penned!