Week 7: Prospecting

in lonesome darkness

Week 7: Prospecting

freedom calls in lonesome darkness

Prospecting

Nothing is all bad

or all good or

all anything

So look harder 

like you are prospecting

the sands of your soul

for gemstones

There are truths buried

deep in kimberlite rock

diamonds forged

under great pressure

Filter out the contaminants

so you can drink from 

your own wells

Search through the rubbish 

of past experiences for

wisdom even in the failures

(especially in the failures)

Recycle everything you waste

because even a heaping pile of shit

produces warmth

Description: This poem is a reflective exhortation toward self-examination and integration. Using the extended metaphor of prospecting, it frames inner work as a patient search through pressure, waste, and failure to uncover truth and value. By blending earthy, even profane imagery with spiritual insight, the poem insists that nothing in human experience is disposable; growth comes from refining, reusing, and learning from every part of the self, especially what we would rather discard.

Reflection: What's a situation, relationship, or aspect of yourself you struggle to see anything good or redeemable in? How does looking at it through the lens of prospecting give you a different perspective? What goodness or value, even if miniscule, can you find?