Here is a poem I wrote, set to some background music. Enjoy!
THE SNAIL
I am alive, I am new,
I crawl over the soil propelled by curiosity.
I pave my very own trail.
I am unique.
I wander thru the autumn leaves on an adventure!
I am tender, I am vulnerable in every way
I am free to discover, to risk, to try.
I climb up a flower to revel in its beauty,
But I fall…
I am exposed to the brutality of the cold, unsympathetic ground.
I face the pain, without barrier
Who am I?
I am now bruised, And partially shattered.
So I slide inside this shell on my back.
Ahh, I am protected.
Therefore my wounds begin to heal,
I am finished, but my scar looms above me like a heavy gray cloud.
Hesitantly I leave my shell,
I am overjoyed to breathe the fresh air, and smell the lush green
grass, to see the beautiful, bright sky.
How I missed the feel of the warm soft earth beneath me!
So I continue my journey, deciding to follow a pre laid trail in hopes of avoiding disaster.
As I journey along the ground, a large figure looms ahead,
I am trusting…
I am young. I move towards it.
It screams at me, with a fierce threatening tone I don’t comprehend, and lunges at me in hunger.
I am afraid, I recoil inside my shell
Who am I?
It’s dark in here, complete silence.
I am safe, I am alone.
So I wait it out. Is it gone?
Days go by…
I am cramped in here, unable to grow,
I am suffocating.
Is it safe? I stick my head into the outside world, as fresh oxygen rushes into my lungs.
And back in I go, as paranoia sets in.
In the dark of night, I crawl out to find a meal,
I am famished, I am full. Back in I go.
Who am I now?
I hear the faint sound of an old friend,
But I don’t leave the shell, why?
I am taught by experience not to trust.
To avoid pain at all costs.
I am lonely and it’s soo dark in here..
Yet I am protected.
I paint a smile on the outside of my shell, to trick nature into believing I’m still outside.
Who am I?
I am molding, I am in hiding
These two worlds begin to collide.
I no longer know the difference.
There is no dividing line, it’s all blended into grey.
My skin is molding to fit my shell,
I am becoming just as calloused as the walls I hide behind.
We are one.
I begin to miss the sunshine, as hunger pangs overwhelm me.
I long to feel something, hear something, see something….anything!
Can anyone hear me?
I am lonely.
I am sabotaging my own efforts for freedom
I desire to feel life once more!
But oh the horrid things that might prevail against me are
enormously overwhelming.
I mustn’t leave.
In here, there is nothing new to discover, nothing to feel, only lifeless solitude.
My own solitude.
so I mustn’t leave this shell…
I don’t quite remember how I got in here,
It’s much too dark in here,
But, well……
my eyes have adjusted.
Who am I?
I am the human experience.
I think we all experience this on some level and although we learn a lot from the experiences, the pain and fear can keep us isolated. I want to give you all permission to come out of your shells, let your inner child come alive. Do something that normally scares you. Be brave and let your self live. And I mean really live! Do something that you have always dreamed of doing, but thought you could never do.