It only takes a few blueberries
to purple the smoothie in my glass.
Begging to add to the blender
to lose that indigo hue–
strawberries (darker)
milk (lighter)
still leaves it purple-ish,
staining my teeth on the way down
and the sink when I’m all the way done.
How to keep the mix
from such violet shades?
How to avoid the blending
of dangerous fruit
coloring up my mind?
Next time, pass the produce aisle
and leave the staining salvos
in the basket by themselves.
Head straight to First Aid
and look for tape, gauze and salve.
Start with healing
and buy band aids instead of berries.
~~~~~
This metaphor came to me on Friday night and I wasn’t sure what it was all about. The next day I happened upon a Facebook post from a friend who’d been verbally betrayed behind her back. The parallel seemed to fit. Funny timing.
Jody,What a powerful piece of writing. I am a blueberry fiend and although I will still eat them by the bushel, I will think about them differently. The stain and the lingering debris of poorly chosen words are so damaging.Thank you for hearing the word and writing them down.(Helen Washington)
We have a porcelain sink that stains easily, but I was so happy when I discovered it can be bleached back to sparkling white. This is the hope, isn't it, that though we “stain” and are stained upon, we are never far from renewal. And, yes, some things just seem to block out everything else – maybe that's a sign to just toss it and start over again. Thanks, Jody. I like the way your mind works 🙂
“So much other junk…” Very true, Linda, very true. Thanks for reading.
Funny what truths God can show us that parallel the daily-ness of our lives, huh? I hate what blueberries to do my sink…Thanks for reading, Dolly.
Jody,Gossip really does stain…the one doing it and the one being gossiped about…what a powerful metaphor with the blueberries staining…a good reminder.
Gossip is a terrible thing and when it is about us, it is worse, so it seems. The staining of the berries, the coloring changes, does fit in with gossip for the stain can be permanent or takes a long time to wear away. “For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.” 2 Corinthians 12:20 Gossip is included with so much other junk. Thank you for I will be pondering this poem and my heart. Caring through Christ, ~ linda