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Pearls

I guarantee that inside each of us is a kernel
A small, hard nugget
Of our true selves.
Not the self we put on for our friends
Family
Lovers
Or even when we look in the mirror.
A single grain of sand
Irritating our softest parts
We cover it
Secrete this life
Over top of it
Smoothing out the edges
Becoming luminous

We clamp our shells down
Greedy
Unwilling to lose what we’ve
Worked to build
Over who we are deepest inside

But
A beach is made from sand
Smoothed by the ocean
Warmed by the sun
Sinking between our toes
And clinging to our skin
Each of those grains beautiful
Useful together
And more comfortable than
Walking on pearls.

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