I reached the age of thirty-three and there began to fret
For all around had found their hats, I didn’t have mine yet
I’d tried many on for size, but none had stood the test of time
I prayed to the Gods and the Universe: send me the hat that is mine!

The years ticked on and still no hat, though I searched for it everywhere
In my thirty-sixth year, I must admit, I was getting close to despair
None my age were hatless, if I didn’t find one quick
I feared my hat deficiency would make my head quite sick

One day I saw a lady, carrying a case
No hat upon her noggin, a smile upon her face
I stared at her in wonder as she walked by happily
How was it that she looked so light, so radiant and free?

Excuse me Madam, I enquired, I really have to know
There’s no hat upon your head, yet your face it is aglow
I have failed to find the hat that fits upon my head
But my face is drawn, body leaden, heart filled up with dread

The woman’s eyes showed pity as she nodded at my plight
She took my hand, agreed to share the secret of her light
She opened up her case to show the contents locked inside
I stood agog at hats amok, every colour, shape and size

Mother, Grandma, daughter, artist, runner, free
Engineer, deep sea diver, teacher, and keeper of bees
Too many more for me to count, my head was in a spin
But like a flower slowly unfurling, I felt a blossoming within

Which one of these is you, I asked?  Your purpose in this life?
She smiled and shared her story to soothe me of my strife
She too had searched for just one hat, discarded many on the way
Until one day she realised: all the hats would do better to stay

She did not need to find one hat, or even wear a hat at all
There were many hats that fit her, and many too big or too small
But a hat should not define her, or show others where she fit
She kept the small ones for nostalgia, grew into hats too big

Each hat she had was part of her, yet she was also more than that
A person’s soul is not defined by the confines of a hat
She would collect them all until the day when she could grow no more
Let them go with a gentle sigh when Death greeted her at his door

Now I follow her example, this complex being of light and love
Accepting and collecting all of my hats, placing none below or above 
Resisting the call of the world outside to define me by this and that
Accepting my soul cannot be defined by the confines of a hat.

If you’re new to my blog then welcome, please feel free to have a browse. There are plenty more rhymes like this in the poems section. If you like what you see you can enter your email to subscribe, or follow me on WordPress. I never spam, I honestly don’t know how. You can also follow me on Instagram.