Three Seventeen

Song Sung UnBlue (audio option)

Last night, in a text, she said to me,
“I sing your praises to others,” 
completely disrupting my shame and failure echo chamber 
because I didn't know why she should say such a thing 
but I know my default of being small, scared, and mean 
so I hope her words of praise were aimed at the work, the writing, 
the actual Creator, deeper and higher than me. 
If you like the transcriber, you should meet The Author! 

“Because, knowing me,” 
The Accusser said 
in the voice of my second thought, 
“praise is just a set up for failure.” 

The sound of the catch-22 reverberating prodded 
The Observer to step in. “So, to recap here, gossip is bad, 
judgement and shame, also bad?” 

I'm rather like a nine year-old in my shoulder shrugging 
reply, “Duh, yeah.”

The Observer continues, “And compliments and praise, too, 
are also bad, also can't be trusted?”

“Well, I…” I begin, stammering when The Observer 
continues and nodding, says, 
“Oh, I see it's that chapter and verse, that koan, that sutra 
that reads: 
‘Damned if you do, 
damned if you don't.’ 

When The Observer gets an attitude, I lose mine.

“Right,” I said, admitting no such foolishness exists. 

The Observer softened and exhaled through me as me 
and with a twinkle in Its’ eye said, “It's an old groove 
but a lousy dance, always was. Let's drop the “damned” 
and try ‘loved if you do, 
loved if you don't’ 
What's that Scripture, the one about Me 
singing and dancing in joy over you?”

I considered the question, reaching for the Scripture reference 
in my mind but before I could answer, the next question came.

“And this morning, when you woke, ready to start your day with disappointed eyes and a dark lonely dirge, what thought woke you deeper?”

I lowered my chin and raised my eyes and answered, 
“That I had been sung about, and sang over, so maybe 
I should get out of bed.”

And The Observer raised his chin, lowered his eyes, 
and with the slightest grin, 
said, “Yes, that chapter, verse, 
sutra, and koan.”

-pdk 
for SHM

**Background music "Amazed" New Life Church, "Sri Ram Jai Ram" Steve Ross  *artists retain all rights and our gratitude.

As we share in the wonder of growing in love, Preetam Das