Imperfection

Imperfection

...frames the house of humility.

Wherever did I get
the idea anything is perfect?

Nowhere in my world
am I able to find anything
perfectly round,
perfectly square
or evenly balanced.

My friend Tom went out
in search of the perfect leaf,
but couldn't find one.

Lots of folks seek out
the perfect place to live,
yet never get there.

Even the prefect couple,
in the perfect marriage,
can't always make it last.

Everything surrounding me
is a little bit crooked,
bent, chipped and scratched.

But that aging man
staring back in the mirror,
is growing more perfect
in his humble acceptance
of all life's imperfections.

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All imperfection is easier to tolerate
if served up in small doses.
~ Wisława Szymborska

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