Monday, January 27, 2014

Portia Nelson: "Autobiography in Five Short Chapters"




Chapter One
                                   I walk down the street.
                                              There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
                                              I fall in.
                                              I am lost.... I am helpless.
                                                        It isn't my fault.
                                   It takes forever to find a way out.


Chapter Two
                                   I walk down the same street.
                                              There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
                                              I pretend I don't see it.
                                              I fall in again.
                                   I can't believe I am in the same place.
                                                       But, it isn't my fault.
                                   It still takes a long time to get out.


Chapter Three
                                   I walk down the same street.
                                              There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
                                              I see it is there.
                                              I still fall in ... it's a habit ... but,
                                                       my eyes are open.
                                                       I know where I am.
                                   It is my fault.
                                   I get out immediately.


Chapter Four
                                   I walk down the same street.
                                              There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
                                              I walk around it.


Chapter Five
                                   I walk down another street.



"Autobiography in Five Short Chapters" by Portia Nelson, from There's a Hole in My Sidewalk: The Romance of Self-Discovery. © Atria Books/Beyond Words, 2012.

Image credit: Untitled image by unknown artist, found at this link (originally color).

 

1 comment :

  1. An oldie - but always a goodie. It hit me right in the face.

    ReplyDelete

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