☀️ The Daily Boost #845

Hey, world!

The Daily Boost (published weekdays) is one of the newsletters of The Raft, the online community of author Phyllis Cole-Dai. We Rafters ride the river of life buoyed by music, poetry, and other arts, along with open spiritual practice. Most everything here is free, but patrons (paid subscribers) get some special perks because Phyllis is extra grateful for their support. Sign up here:

I AM WHAT I AM
Jerry Herman

I am what I am
I am my own special creation
So come take a look
Give me the hook or the ovation

It's my world that I want to have a little pride in
My world and it's not a place I have to hide in
Life's not worth a damn
'Til you can say, Hey world, I am what I am

I am what I am
I don't want praise, I don't want pity
I bang my own drum
Some think it's noise, I think it's pretty

And so what if I love each sparkle and each bangle?
Why not try and see things from a different angle?
Your life is a sham
'Til you can shout out loud, I am what I am

I am what I am
And what I am needs no excuses
I deal my own deck
Sometimes the ace, sometimes the deuces

There's one life and there's no return and no deposit
One life, so it's time to open up your closet
Life's not worth a damn
'Til you can shout out, Hey world, I am what I am . . .

(My thanks to the Swingles and Voctave.)

“The Answer,”
a poem by Gloria Heffernan

The Gentle Nudge

• LAY A BLESSING STONE: Visit this link

• THURSDAY: Poetry Pick-Me-Up (Zoom, 12:00-1:00PM Central, at this link)

• SIGN UP NOW for “The Heart of Who We Are,” a poetry-writing series with Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer that will bookend the US election. Details here.