The young woman enters the dirty, smoky bar where a loud mixture of 80’s rock, rap, and pop music is playing. The only two televisions are on baseball games. After three martinis her inhibitions have lowered to the point that she jumps on top of the counter and begins dancing to the loud music as she begins to remove articles of her clothing.
Explicit images of nudity, baring all, and stripping undoubtedly have a variety of ideas and messages that are attached to these concepts in every culture. Depending on your perspective you may (or may not) have severe problems with the idea of a person exposing one’s physically naked body. However, I’m going to take this discussion one step further, and use the analogy of stripping to mean to reveal the depth of certain layers of an individual’s personality, character, and inner most sentiments.
I would argue, that in order to grow and progress in our own personal understanding of self, we must all “strip.” Often times that means we have to peel back layers of “self” in order to increase our level of emotional, mental, and spiritual understanding. That may mean we have to “bare all” and allow ourselves to be vulnerable in order to achieve a deeper level of self growth. In other words, we have to allow ourselves to be open to the possibility of going beneath the surface, in order to really understand our deeper selves and really grow and transform.
Symbolically, to remove clothing as in “stripping,” one could also associate that to be getting rid of those things (ideas, behaviors, or even people) that are in our lives that are preventing us from moving forward. I deem these preventative things as “baggage” which inevitably has the ability to hold us back, in a variety of aspects of our lives. Check out my article, “Calling all Passengers! Report to Baggage Claim!” http://justcierra.blogspot.com/2010/01/calling-all-passengers-report-to.html
Stripping is very difficult. It’s not as easy as people make it out to be. Allowing ourselves to be really “real” with ourselves and people around us is very challenging. However, I definitely think it’s necessary in order to elevate to the next level of understanding as we journey down this road called “Life.” The sad part is that, because it’s so hard, most of us choose to look the other way, and just stay right where we are.
Sometimes there is a life situation that triggers us to strip. We all experience situations that test us, and force us to grow and transform, or to decide to stay stagnant where we are in life. I would like to challenge everyone to “strip.” It can be emotionally draining filled with a variety of intense feelings including: sadness, sorrow, anger, confusion, disappointment, vulnerability, and the list goes on. However, the ultimate outcome leads to a positive understanding of deeper levels of emotional, mental, and spiritual self.
It would be completely unfair to challenge people to “strip”, if indeed, I did not. I have been a “stripper” for about three weeks now. There was an unexpected life situation that triggered my adventures in stripping. It actually all started Good Friday, the irony of it all! (I often write poetry, my deepest, most inner sentiments, never expecting them to be shared with anyone. However, I have decided to share a couple of pieces. This isn’t easy, so please, bare with me.) Here it is, This is me, Stripped!
Raw Sorrow
I lie in bed for days at a time
Hoping
Tomorrow will come soon
That it will be a brighter day
That some of my pain & sorrow
Will be erased
Tomorrow does not come
Soon enough
Tomorrow is not better
The dreadful hurt in my heart
Is still blatantly present
I open up every window
Hoping
That the warmth of the sunshine
Will breathe new life into my spirit
It does not
The sunshine does nothing
All I see are clouds of darkness
The solitude of my pain is everywhere
As I seep deeper & deeper
Into the depths of despair
Its early evening
I sit down to feed myself
Hoping
That the food will nourish
My physical body & emotional spirit
It does not
The food does no good
I can finish very little
Food
Once an artful joy of my creation
Once a blissful contribution
To my excitement & happiness
Has become
A grueling task
A difficult chore
That remains incomplete
I shower 5 times a day
Hoping
This will relax me
Mentally, physically, and emotionally
That
I will somehow find the strength
To leave the borders of my home
It does nothing
Nothing changes
All I can do
Is slip back into my pajamas
Crawl back into bed
Left
With my never-ending thoughts,
My revolving emotions, and
Open possibilities.
Burning Insomnia
I cannot sleep
I am scared to sleep
I am left to naps
The unconscious state
Of my existence is awakened
It is given free reign
Over my emotional, mental,
And physical realms
All I feel is
The embedded pain
Of this tortuous disaster
As I brutally awaken
From this horrific nightmare
My physical reactional state surfaces
My breathing is uncontrollable
My eyes are flooded with tears
The heartburn in my chest forces
My body to become completely limp
To deserve such
An immense amount
Of physical, mental, emotional,
And spiritual anguish
Is deeply unsettling
I cannot sleep
I am scared to sleep
I am left to naps
Heaven forbid
My naps last too long
A 3 hour nap is long-lasting
My subconscious state
Begins to arrive and
Reminds me of my endless fountain
Of intense hurt
The painful sensation of my misery
Has nowhere to go
It stays with me
During my sleeping & waking hours
I cannot sleep
I will not sleep
I am scared to sleep
I am left to naps.
NOTE TO THE READER: Please share your thoughts about this article! Whether it be one word, one sentence, a paragraph, or a whole novel, feel free to post your thoughts!! How do you feel about “stripping?” Ready, set, share!!!
