Umbrage Turtle!
[SOFT SHELL TAP] Shelly is a turtle who takes offense at every little thing, If a friend forgets to wave, she pulls in tight and stops the swing. When Frog sai...
[SOFT SHELL TAP]
Shelly is a turtle who takes offense at every little thing, If a friend forgets to wave, she pulls in tight and stops the swing. When Frog said, "Nice shell, Shelly," meaning it as a kind, true praise, Shelly heard an insult hidden in his friendly little phrase. She yanked her head inside her shell and refused to come back out, Frog stood there confused and worried, wondering what that was about. A tiny word, a missing wave, the smallest little slight, Sends Shelly deep inside her shell for the rest of the day and night.
UMBRAGE! Taking offense at every small thing, Feeling hurt by something little that a joke might bring. UMBRAGE! Hiding deep inside your shell, When a friendly comment lands in a way you cannot tell. UMBRAGE! Sometimes real, sometimes a misread, Worth a pause to check the feeling before it grows too hot. UMBRAGE! Shelly, before you hide away, Ask a question first, and see what your good friend has to say.
One afternoon at recess, Rabbit hopped by extra fast, Splashing mud across the pond without a look, without a cast. Shelly took great umbrage, sure that Rabbit meant her harm, She hid three days inside her shell, refusing every charm. But Rabbit had been rushing to his little sister's play, He never even saw the pond, his eyes were somewhere far away. When Shelly finally asked him why, the answer came out clear, No harm at all was ever meant, there was no need to fear.
UMBRAGE! Taking offense at every small thing, Feeling hurt by something little that a joke might bring. UMBRAGE! Hiding deep inside your shell, When a friendly comment lands in a way you cannot tell. UMBRAGE! Sometimes real, sometimes a misread, Worth a pause to check the feeling before it grows too hot. UMBRAGE! Shelly, before you hide away, Ask a question first, and see what your good friend has to say.
Now sometimes umbrage really is the truest, fairest call, When someone teases meanly, or excludes you from it all. That kind of hurt deserves a voice, a "please, that has to stop," It is real umbrage, rightly claimed, it is a feeling firm and flat. The difference is in checking first, before you shut the door, Was it truly meant to hurt, or something simply overlooked before? Shelly learned to pause and ask, instead of hiding fast, And found her friendships growing stronger, built to really last.
Today when Frog said something Shelly wondered about, She did not hide, she took a breath and let the question out. "Did you mean that as a compliment?" she asked him, calm and clear, Frog smiled and said, "Of course I did, your shell is my favorite here!" Shelly felt her worry melt like morning fog upon the pond, Umbrage does not have to win when curiosity responds. She still feels hurt sometimes, that part will never fully cease, But now she checks before she hides, and finds a little peace.
Feelings can arrive so fast, before you even know, A flash of hurt, a spark of umbrage, ready to grow. But feelings are not always facts, they're messengers, that's all, They ask you to pay closer attention, not to build a wall. So when umbrage knocks upon the door of your own gentle heart, Take a breath, ask one good question, that's a wiser start. Sometimes you'll find real hurt that truly needs a voice out loud, And sometimes only a friendly moment, misread in a crowd.
UMBRAGE! Taking offense at every small thing, Feeling hurt by something little that a joke might bring. UMBRAGE! Hiding deep inside your shell, When a friendly comment lands in a way you cannot tell. UMBRAGE! Sometimes real, sometimes a misread, Worth a pause to check the feeling before it grows too hot. UMBRAGE! Shelly, before you hide away, Ask a question first, and see what your good friend has to say.
UMBRAGE, umbrage, Shelly's learning still, To pause before she hides away behind her mossy hill. [SOFT SHELL TAP] Peek out, and ask.