Integrity (for Libby, who helps me unpick)

To integrate
in every way
in action, thought and deed,
Being your own purest, pure truth
is a perilous path indeed!

We start to die
from our truest self
in infancy as we grow
to see ourself
through other’s eyes
rated higher than
our own.

There seems to be
so very much
that needs to be unspun.
To pare back to
the delicate core
picking the complex pattern
undone.

Integrity is all in one
the same in every way.
being truly who we are
in every place
on every day.

With no pretence
but speak your truth
to everyone you see.
Take your time
to form your words
to speak
in honesty.

There’s nothing harder
you can do
than peel back the bark.
And every time
a bit comes off
you feel  little spark.

The bark is the hardest
work of all,
exposing little wounds,
that made you who you are today
but the sparks
are tiny blooms.

We compromise
our own true self
from the moment we can speak,
Intent on pleasing others
for the approval
that we seek.

It’s a stage within a cycle
As I grow older
I care less
for the opinions of the people
I grew tough bark
to impress.

(for Libby, 2015)

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