(Escape from Pain, Waking Up Again)

Who is this “me”
I speak of and 
Obsess over so often?

This is me:
I am a man.
I hike, I breathe.
I write and take pictures.
I love some and
Laugh a lot.

Wait, no.
That’s not me.

This is me:
I think, so I am.
I solve business and
Technical problems.
Better yet, I
Anticipate them and so
Avoid them.
I lead teams,
Make them better than
The sum of their parts.
I plan, therefore I am.

Wait no.
That’s not me, either.

 
This is me,
The real me:
I am 
More than my body,
More than my mind.
I am
Transcendent in this sacred space.
I am 
Resting like an infant in
Your everlasting arms,
So, I am eternal.
When I am not my body,
Joy courses through
My ethereal veins.
When I am not my mind,
Peace permeates my being,
Renewed each time
Beauty touches me,
The real me—
A rose whose petals
Glow in golden afternoon light
Or hide in cool shadows,
Absorbing warmth but
Resting from the heat
Of the day.

In the arms of the
One who carries me
Into eternity,
Today cannot hurt me.
Tomorrow does not exist.
This is how I escape
From pain, from fear;
This is how I immerse myself
In a pool of Peace:
I reach for You and
I don’t let the “me”s who are not me
Get in the way.



David K. Carpenter

June 11, 2023