We are a Mess

On By Michele LeeIn Verse, writing
Being born is messy
pain, screams, and blood
when a new life descends
breathing slowed, followed by
a long-anticipated first gaze
messiness soon fades away

Childhood is messy
screams, pain, and blood
when little fingers and limbs
reach beyond their limits
wounds heal and become scars
that will tell a story one day
messiness soon fades away

Living is messy
blood, sweat, and tears
when earning day after day
exacts a toll on mind, body, and soul
until the days of laboring are no more
messiness soon fades away

Death is messy
pain, blood, and screams
when one must return
what the giver of life gives
a favorite chair, now emptiness
messiness soon fades away


A humorous pick-me-up that I began writing last night was kicked to the rain-soaked curb by this morning’s messy words. I will gather up the scattered funny and save them for a moment that feels sunny. 🌞 I am feeling pensive this morning, for a myriad of reasons, enhanced by our recent rainy desert days that have drawn me into a reflective writing space. Creating and writing through my emotions is cathartic. I am sure there are many reading this post who can relate and understand. Thank you for giving my words a soft place to land. 🙏 Be well. 💗 Michele

Photo 1: backyard hail storm 😲 Photo 2: melancholy Michele on a park bench

© 2021 Michele Lee Sefton. All Rights Reserved.

57 thoughts on “We are a Mess”

  1. Michele, you have such a gift. Yes, I understand every word you wrote. I’m missing the sunny days. I do lighten my own load seeking humor; however, I’m finding myself in a very quiet space right now. For many reasons I’m growing stronger in the silence.

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    1. Thank you, K.L. So do you. Thank you for reading and understanding. 💗 Being in a quiet space is a pleasant place to be and I agree, we can grow stronger through silence and reflection. The sun is making an appearance today, drying up the rain. Too bad. I don’t mind the rain, the clouds, and the invitation to go within.

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  3. Msdedeng

    And the theme is pretty consistent at every stage of life, making it the story of our lives. After reading this, pain, sweat, and blood is almost acceptable. 🙂
    Nice work, Michele.

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    1. I am humbled and honored by your words. 😊 Yes, blood, sweat, screams, pain… motifs that run through our lives and that, even at their worst, never last. Thank you for visiting and contributing to my morning mess. 😉

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  6. Michele – this was lovely and poignant.

    You know, it made me think… I don’t necessarily think of death as messy… I have to think more about this in the context of your poem… but I wonder if it has something to do with the degree to which we acknowledge it and ready ourselves for it in advance… I don’t know.

    -David

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    1. I appreciate your support, David. 🙏

      Depending on the nature of death, it can be quite messy. I am sure you understand. Even the most peaceful death, is not the tidiest of affairs. Of course, the ripples that follow death can be messy, and the actual act of dying. 😔

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      1. David, I always appreciate the questions you pose.
        A follow-up to my previous comment…
        I suppose it all depends on your definition of “messy.”
        Also, it seems reasonable that there might be less “mess” if one is “ready… in advance,” but that might not eliminate all of the “mess” that follows death. That has been my experience with losing people.

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  7. This so deeply beautiful to me. It is a such a thought provoking description of our human lifetime, where we often strive for clean perfection and yet a lot of life emerges from the messiness of it all. Life continues and we continue to live it in different phases – sunshine will surely return soon and yes this winter can be very pensive, it is all beautiful I think. I love the pictures you shared.

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    1. Such a lovely summary and comment about my morning messy poem and my photos. Yes, although there is unpredictability and things beyond our control, life, like the seasons, has foreseeable phases. I agree with you about the beauty found in winter.💖
      Thank you, Pragalbha.

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    1. I love the description you have generously and kindly given to me. I am going to borrow that and proudly share it whenever I meet someone. I will say, “I have a wonderful writer’s view of life and the world,” because Nico said so. 😊 My pensive morning is turning into a pleasant evening. Thank you. 🙏

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  10. leeseinaz

    I know I already told you, but I love this.

    And I love that God knew in the messiness of life that His good idea of friendship would make even the messiest of times feel more manageable.

    Love you, dear friend.

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    1. Yes, Ingrid, life is a gift and our arrival here is truly a miracle. 💖 Thank you for reading and enjoying. I love the words you selected to describe my poem. I am feeling lighter and uplifted today. Allowing, writing, connecting, moving, and releasing are remedies to a melancholy mindset. 🙏💓

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  15. Four beautiful stanzas that embrace our love of life and the chaos that makes it all worth it! I do not go seeking chaos but I prefer to become part of it when it comes knocking rather than fight it. Life is messy and that is nothing to be afraid of.

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    1. Jaya, your comment about not fighting the chaos reminds me of my poem, “Nothing Will keep me aFloat” and my line about not trying to match the pace of a rip current. Better to relax and go with the flow, than allow it suffocate. 🌊 For those of us who love to write, we can also write our way through the mess, the chaos, and the happy and peaceful times too. All of it makes up this beautiful life. 💗 Thank you for the visit.

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  20. mildredprincewelch

    Woman is the Mother of Mankind
    Woman is the Moral Fiber of Civilization
    Woman is man’s first teacher
    Woman is smarter than man
    Woman if you encounter a Man smarter than a woman
    Woman you meet 1 Man out of 100 with 99 hanging in the balance

    By: Van Prince

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  21. This is my first visit to your blog. I agree with many other people who have already left comments — a moving and very effective use of repetition and variation in your splendid poem. Thank you for reminding us that life is often messy! And that’s OK. I also appreciate blog posts in which people wrestle with the big phenomena such as life and death, love and loss. Perhaps my favorite part of your post is in the prose following your poem,: “Thank you for giving my words a soft place to land.” That is a BEAUTIFUL sentence.

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    1. Thanks a million for visiting, reading, following, and commenting. I hope you visit and read more. Thank you for appreciating my use of repetition (did I repeat myself haha). I was feeling reflective and pensive that morning. That too, is life. Thanks for reading to the end and for once again, through your thoughtful feedback, giving my words a soft place to land. 🙏

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  22. Pingback: A Woman Never Tells – My Inspired Life

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