Empty, Except for
Tabula Rasa
The blank slate
The emptiness we’re born with
Born empty?
Except for
The sounds we hear
While we float through the unknown
Dark of the womb
We hear the sounds
And yet know not what they mean
But the reactions from our carrier
Our grower
Our bearer
The one who nurtures us
Their reactions tell us what to think
Of the sounds outside
Their movements, the
thud
thud
thud
Of their heart speeding up
Racing
Tell us
Tell us
That some sounds are dangerous
And some are good
Songs to soothe
And songs to frighten
So when we emerge
Are we truly empty
Or do we learn how to fear
And what to fear
Before we even set eyes on it
Before the sound even hits
Before we know what it is
The
thud
thud
thud
Of our hearts
Tell us that perhaps it is time to fear
Because if our bearer
Feared the same thing for us
Should we not fear it for ourselves?
It used to be that the bearer was expected to do little
Because we take so much energy
And time
And because we are a miracle
A miracle yet to arrive
And miracles should not fear
But no one considers that we learn so much
So very much
Before we even arrive in the world
Before our first breath
We know what to expect
Tabula Rasa
Empty, except for our fear
Translation
Tabula Rasa (Latin): Blank Slate
