The LANTERN and the WILDFLOWER
If only I could give you
the gift of Adventure.
If only I could box her up
for you,
That big red bow on top,
glimmering.
But this cannot be.
Adventure is not
given or earned.
She is a breath that is prayed,
a force that is found,
found in the soul of everyone
and everything
But maybe, just maybe,
if I cannot box her up for you,
I can at least point you
in her direction.
Maybe, at least,
I can tell you where I saw her last,
what I prayed when I was alone,
waiting in a forest under the pine trees,
waiting for her to appear.
Maybe that will be
your Beginning.
You see, I didn’t learn for a long time.
For years, as soon as I began
searching,
hid behind fear,
all the while,
Adventure waiting for me
with a lantern and a wildflower.
All that time, I only wanted
pictures of her,
without knowing her presence,
her warmth,
her smell.
But when I met her,
I found myself.
When I prayed,
I found God.
If only I could teach you
not to be afraid.
If only I could tell you
that it’s okay if you don’t
have words left
to pray.
If only I could point you
towards that lantern
and that wildflower.
If only I could show you
the way to God.
But God cannot be given or earned.
No, God is found.
So, in that soul of yours,
there is the greatest opportunity.
You.
The world.
Breath and prayer embodied.
Everything sacred.
These things would never fit
into a box
with a big red bow on top,
glimmering.
Kaitlin Curtice
