S
Hold On?
When I first saw you, I admired your tenacity.
I could hear you whisper to me, “Hold on. No matter what, hold on!”
Maybe I heard that because I most needed to hear that, at least for a moment.
Your fellows, scattered beneath me, have all given up too soon. Only you hold on.
Then I walk among your fellows.
They crunch beneath my feet (wonderful sound!)
And I begin to see their wisdom, the trust they show
That death must happen before new life can begin.
“Death?!” I hear you shudder. “I don’t want to die!”
I know how you feel. It’s lonely there.
Holding on when everyone else has left; you feel alone
And frightened you will remain that way forever.
But I hear your fellows whisper too.
“Our tree needs to rest for Winter. We will grow again.
Young and healthy and beautiful. This is what comes next.
You cannot hold on to what no longer serves you.”
And I understand. I understand what I never have before.
I have been wanting another chance. Another chance to do it right.
So I hold on. To the person that hurts me, the habits that destroy me,
The relationship I think I ruined. I hold on because letting go means giving up.
But “no,” your fellows whisper. “No. Letting go is not giving up.
It is trusting in the wisdom of the universe. It is knowing when it is time
To embrace a new kind of life.” And I realize, death to the pain of this life
Means opening up to a chance for something better.
The longer I hold on, the longer I am unable to move forward
To whatever comes next. Whatever pain and joy is possible
Can only happen if I let go. When I hold on, my hands stay closed.
When I let go, they open up.
So what do you say? Will you take the chance with me?
Let’s let go. And fall together.
Poem & Photo Copyright 2011 Lisa M. Bogle
