Pincushions
Paring down is easy
at first.
Ditching the stuff you never use.
A shrug and a toss
into the give-away box,
the recycle bin,
the trash bag.
But then you come down to it,
the stuff that has a hook in your soul.
Stuff you keep because
someone gave it to you (the lamp),
it reminds you of a good time (the ticket stub),
you really are going to learn
(insert sport, craft, or language here) one day.
Perhaps the first step is to decide
what is important in your life,
what brings joy,
comfort,
fulfillment,
laughter,
wellness,
and just pare away everything that doesn’t.
Like the excess clay from a sculpture of yourself.
Yourself the way you were before the hooks
turned your soul into a pincushion.
#224
Linda Studley 