belief in self

 

self-doubt, and caution

when I would work with seventh and eighth graders,

I would have them write of who they were,

I admonished them to write more of the positive

than came easily to them,

for in the depths of themselves,

they realized the siren call of hubris, of Narcissus,

of knowing they were partway

through the process of coming fully into themselves,

and too much self-congratulation

might make them miss the hard choices

that they knew were before them,

I still feel the residue of that incipient self-doubt

that can make me obsess

on the negatives of what might happen,

sadly, that caution can be excessive,

and blind me to seeing, enjoying, appreciating

what still comes at me,

I work to be more thankful than fearful.

by Henry H. Walker

May 30, ‘26