And judge me not

Last week, while trying to prepare for my first big step on what I hope will be a journey to find some peace of mind and healing for myself, the phrase "if I lay bare my soul" kept coming to mind. So like any good 21st centurian, I googled it, and while it (surprisingly) didn't pull up much (only 57 results--really?), most of them were references to a poem written in 2006 by a woman in England on her blog page--which page, incidentally, doesn't have much activity beyond that and a handful of other posts around that same time (much like my own blog page, in fact). Anyway, I was dumstruck by the power of this poem, and since it's National Poetry month, I thought I'd share it.


For me, the phrase "judge me not" really means, at least, "hate me not," and, at most, "love me still." And while I believe this is a core, universal desire we all crave from others, I am beginning to understand that it's a prayer most needed when speaking to myself.

JUDGEMENT
by Suzanne Thorne

If I lay bare my soul
Will you treat me gently
Accept my strengths and weakness
And judge me not.

If I open my heart
Will you see the love, the pain
Accept my fears, my passion
And judge me not.

If I share my mind
Will you listen to all my hopes, my plans
Accept my dreams
And judge me not.

If I show you the real me
Will you want to stay
Accept me for all that I am
And judge me not.