Marathon Man

       Yesterday, I was just a mile and a minute away from the horrible events at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Quite unnerved, I suddenly stepped out of the restaurant I was in and spontaneously penned the following poem; whilst standing on the sidewalk, amidst thousands of people, all trying to comprehend what had happened.
       Here’s what suddenly struck me at Bertucci’s in Kenmore Square: In the midst of so much uncertainty, what is the point of holding back; of not taking a risk; of not fully and vibrantly expressing yourself; of not going out on that limb; of not pushing the envelope? Every fuckin’ chance you get?
       If the spark is inside you, and if death is not a possible outcome of your expressions, why hold back? Is not the potential upside for connection, understanding, enlightenment, wisdom, depth, awakening, growth, fun, joy, love, and who knows what else, worth the risk of looking bad? Worth the risk of fucking up? Worth the risk of people not getting you? Worth the risk of people not liking you?
 

In my irreverence
I pay reverence to that which truly matters

In my audacity
I seek to find my own courage

In my outrageousness
I worship that wildest of fires within you that you don’t let burn

In my bold transgressions of the conventional
I offer freedom of expression to those who seek it

In my creative dismantling of the norm
I expand the boundaries of expression

In my vulnerability
I create the space for those who desire openness
But are afraid to step nakedly into its embrace

In my wild expressions of my love for you
I seek to liberate your feelings of love for me
Of your love for yourself
Of your love for love itself

                         - Clint Piatelli
                           April 15, 2013

©2013 Clint Piatelli, MuscleHeart, & Red F Publishing. All rights reserved.