Purity

you look for coal
to find diamonds,
you look for oysters
to find pearls,
you look for water
to find the spring,
you look for the night
to find the stars,

but when you look within
you forget how to look -
you look for the light
closing your eyes to the darkness,
you look for what's pure
not wanting to touch
or feel what's impure;

there is no short-cut
to the rites of passage
into a throbbing heart,
that chooses to stay open
to distill the essence
from the hurt.

Hurt

sometimes
a child
ripping open
his precious gift

sometimes
a knife
struggling through
cling wrap

sometimes
a toothpick
stuck into
a piece of fruit

sometimes
the sandpaper grit
rubbing against
tender skin

hurt
digs
deep
and
stays
with
me.