Apologies Mixed With Wabi-Sabi
by Lori Levy

Sorry.
I don't give flowers or chocolates or gifts.
I might write a poem for you,
one that comes from the same place
in the heart as flowers, chocolates, gifts,
so, please, if I do,
inhale it like the scent of roses,
bite into it, savor each word
like chocolates in a box,
hold the poem close like a valued gift–
like the clothing or jewelry I didn't buy you.

A poem is not a shirt you can return
if it doesn't fit.
It's not a one-size-fits-all.

If I write one for you–
if I'm moved to paint you with words–
it's to honor you, your way of being,
the traits that make you special.
Sometimes, perhaps,
it’s to highlight–in the spirit of wabi-sabi–
your quirks, rough spots, imperfections,
which, in the process, become
(or I hope will become)
as beautiful to me as the gold-filled
cracks in a Japanese bowl.



 

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