In order to swim, one takes off all one’s clothes—in order to aspire to the truth, one must undress in a far more inward sense, divest oneself of all one’s inward clothes, of thoughts, conceptions, selfishness, etc., before one is sufficiently naked.
—Søren Kierkegaard
And so I attempt to slip out
of the shirt of defensiveness,
slip off the belt of shame.
I wriggle against the jeans
of righteousness and tug
off the socks of distrust.
It’s scary to take it all off,
but everything else feels too tight
these days, and damn,
I just want the truth so bad,
want to wear it like my own skin,
want to step into it like slippers
I will never take off, want to
wear it like boots that will
carry me over any terrain,
want to wear it like
an eternal perfume—
something I am sure is there
even with my eyes closed,
even in the dark.
What if Truth, at its essence, is simply Love? If we could wrap ourselves in such a cloak, no other garments would be necessary.
thanks, Heidi … I definitely think Truth & Love are twins
I agree with Heidi. Truth is best expressed as Love embodied. It’s the inner garment we need to wrap ourselves in, and one that makes us want to let drop the undesirable clothing we might otherwise wear. And how beautifully you have described the shedding of those unwanted attitudes and behaviours, Rosemerry, which are defensive, deadening and confining, instead of open, freeing and giving. ❤️
Yeah, that was a real inventory–all the things that keep me from leaning into truth. And Yes, I agree with you and Heidi.