Beyond the Grime

It is not easy, looking beyond the grime to the colors below.
Hard to imagine the colors bright and sharp
through the mud and broken places
that life too often covers us all with.

Certainly I have difficulty, looking beyond it all,
even when gazing in the mirror, I see dirt,
all of it real, even if it has been washed way
by spirits greater than mine. If it is so hard for me,

it might be for you as well. But grime. Dirt, Sin. Flaws
are all a disguise. A false front designed to prevent
us from realizing just how much beauty there is,
not just in the world, but in ourselves.

About the poem

This morning at church the internet went out twice and I found myself scrambling to get things going again for my long distance parishioners who attend by zoom, all the while trying to keep things moving in the sanctuary service. I likely did not do either well.

It is easy to get down on ourselves when things go wrong. But if we have done the best we can, we need to remember all the good things, the bright colors we bring to others the rest of our lives.

Inspired by one of my paintings, “Beyond the Grime.” The image here is a detail from that painting.

Tom