The Pearl

I woke up this morning with the image

of a pearl in my mind:

a tiny sphere brought into being by an irritating

grain of sand within the house of a muscle;

a space where competition between a foreign

and resident thought spar to arrive at something

beautiful and kind.


This is an image of instruction for me.

When I find myself in the realm of competition,

I want to lean kindly into that which irritates despite its 

essence of otherness.  I want to embrace this Other rather

than muscle it out by wit, criticism or ridicule

and wait for the pearl of new understanding

to roll sweetly into view.