Nobody's Darling

Be nobody's darling;
Be an outcast.

Take the contradictions
Of your life
And wrap around
You like a shawl,
To parry stones
To keep you warm.

Watch the people succumb
To madness
With ample cheer;
Let them look askance at you
And you askance reply.

Be an outcast;
Be pleased to walk alone
(Uncool)
or line the crowded
river beds
with other impetuous
Fools.

Make a merry gathering
On the bank
Where thousands perished
For brave hurt words
They said.

Be nobody's darling;
Be an outcast
Qualified to live
Among your dead.
~by Alice Walker

Along with this poem that someone shared this week, i heard this quote:

The bell rings loudest at home. ~Yoruba proverb

Together the quotes were used to challenge us to think about the bells we know that are ringing in our own hearts. Listen for them. Pay attention, because not too many others will listen to your bell.

So, be nobody's darling. speak your peace. speak your piece. be willing to be an outcast for the bells ringing in your own heart. Because it is then that we are qualified to walk among the lost and the dead. to share our hearts with them.