Self-Worth Surrendered
By Odin Roark

How resistant the earthworm,
diving back into its organic purpose
as fishermen grab at early morning peek-a-boos
never meant for humans.

And what of the uncelebrated cuckoo bird,
knowing its place in nature’s plan,
but leaving many humans wondering
if they are being mocked with the “cuckoo” chirp.

Then of course there’s the quintessential put down,
the loss of who we thought we were,
a marriage that should have never happened,
a business partnership destined to failure,
and the ever reliable religiosity syndrome:
living day in and day out with
“We are all sinners.”

In the darkest corner of ones’ being,
rests the personal truth of self worth,
wanting only to be left alone,
free of outside tampering,
left to work with who and what it truly is,
contingent not on my opinion of you,
or your opinion of me.

Dream.

What if…

Our alternate universe knew nothing of
associative-monetary-worth,
power-over-others worth,
and no respect for the cliché
“my way or the highway,” worth.

What might one be left with?

Such is a worthy contemplation,
a sense of self requiring it need never be surrendered,
as long as we stay BFF with ourselves.

Such an elusive quality of wholeness, yes?

This self-worth quest,
given free passage or held back by ourselves
a value call not from an outside judgment,
but from one’s own innate ability to partner with truth…
a quality of the heart and mind coalescence,
a much maligned version of sanity
that is ours and ours alone,
a strength and weakness,
a yin and yang wisdom
never needing to surrender,
unless one buys into the dogma
of all those other kinds of cuckoo birds
forever making sure they’re heard.