Oh Great and Powerful
My foundling naiveté
was often mistaken for stupidity;
humiliated, I learned
to make a mental note
of the coarser vagaries
of human behavior.
Then there were those
who truly tested my mettle,
and I struggled to careen
my vessel through the blackest
nights of despair.
Hearing that heaven
is for the brokenhearted
only makes me ache,
after so many years spent
walling off my malleable heart
from the coldblooded
among us.
Downtrodden for years,
I endured the sting
of intimidation
even as my courage
secretly smoldered.
One day I will show them
what I’m really made of,
I said more times
than I wish to admit.
And those shoes I thought
were just shoes— the ones
others mocked or misunderstood—
turns out they weren’t really shoes
at all.
They were my lifeline,
these gifts You gave to me,
to help me find my way
home to You. I only wish
You had helped me
realize this sooner.
Claire Juno, © 2018
vindicating vashti 