The Cardinal Sin
A poem about changing perspectives
Please just hear me out—
it’s something I’ve been
thinking a whole lot about
but it goes against the grain.
I ask—what if the cardinal sin
was never pride, but shame?
What if the way that we place blame
the way we defame and put down
each other is one root of everything
that is hurting in this world?
What if pride is in short supply
and we need to feel it more—
share it, give it, throw it to the wind
until it collects into oceans
of our own self-esteem?
What if by putting away
the blade of shame we can
then begin to dream?
About the Creator
Julia Marsiglio
Loss parent. Canadian poet. Fiction and nonfiction writer. Intersectional feminist. Writing on trauma, grief, mental health, marginalization, neurodivergence and more.
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