Who and whose we are

November Poem Day #23

Who and whose we are

The travesty of life is not truly knowing
who we are and not loving ourselves.
We berate ourselves, treat ourselves
with such animosity and disdain.

We add belittling labels
for good measure. If only we could
conquer such tortuous thoughts
and recognize that we are children
of a loving Heavenly Father,
endowed with spiritual gifts
and powers to overcome anything,
with a transcendent legacy
that is beyond anything
we can ever imagine.


When we look in the mirror
who and what do we see?

If for a brief moment
each day we could look
into the mirror, acknowledge
who and whose we are,
we would begin to change,
from the heart out
and then from head to toe.

We would sense a burgeoning
newness about us.
Our shame would dissipate
like fog on an early sunny morning.
We would arise stoically
from the abyss of self-deprecation.

We would know who we really are
and become who we need to become—
courageous, happy, self-assured,
confident yet humble and secure—
shedding the awful skins
of self-scorning and scolding—
knowing we are still in the arms
of Him who is the Creator of all things
whose love for us is eternal,
meaning forever more.

November 23, 2022