Hard shelled, <br />Smoothed by many currents, many tides, <br />Buffing it with all that sand <br />As waves cycle through, <br />A cool fleshy lump of life <br />Lifts a finger <br />To get the weather report <br />On the motion of the seas; <br />Lifts a hand to grab morsels <br />From the smorgasbord passing by. <br />And deep within the briny, sweet pulp <br />A tiny blemish enters, <br />Creating a dimple <br />In its silken, delicate skin. <br />And that seed of sand - <br />Like the pea under the princess's mattress - <br />The oyster worries, <br />Turning and turning it, <br />Bathing it in tears, <br />Coating it with slime, <br />Layer upon layer of pain and angst, <br />Rubbing it like worry beads <br />Until it is polished to a fine luster, <br />And now this irritant emerges: a pearl. <br /> <br />In a lifetime of imperfections <br />Can we make even a single pearl?<br /><br />Lillian Susan Thomas<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/beauty-of-imperfection-2/
