Porous

April 27, 2022

Ministerial formation is a unique and significant process of understanding self, and through this growing wiser and closer to others. As a racial minority in this faith,  this region,  this country how this manifests for me is in many ways different that the experience of many of my peers. In formation both unnecessary and the needed protective layers of self are removed in the process, to grow anew. This poem is a reflection of the experience of vulnerability and growth in the formation process, particularly for members of minority and/or marginalized groups.

Vulnerable;

Stripped down to the root,

The wick of my personhood,

Bark removed,

The damp core of wood exposed,

Formation is just this

–Formation;

Here from a ready made structure

It requires this stripping,

For the careful identification of scars

And gnarled roots;

Grow anew

New bark, new buds,

And blooms will form,

This regrowth is slow,

Unperceivable without a microscope,

Without awareness,

But it occurs nonetheless,

New growth forms skin,

A new skin,

A different skin,

Not only providing protection,

But also allowing breath;

Porous,

Not just a barrier,

But filtering in

The good.