Hard-won Failure Isn’t as Easy as All That to Throw Away

We define ourselves using negative space

Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash

Like an optical illusion
Where an old woman’s face turns into a young woman’s,
Or where white birds define the black ones,
Failure, once won, can be used to outline the positive aspects of your life.

We try so hard.
I show up again and again,
Ready for another tap to the jaw, another punch in the gut.
I try so hard.

Sometimes
No amount of effort
Will save the day.
I have failed as a teacher, as a director, as a human
More times than I care to count.

And yet — !

By counting these misses,
My unique shape becomes apparent.
Maybe we don’t have to be perfect.
Maybe the messes are the point.