Prelude to a request ...

I live in my world

alone;

      My body, in this world

          together

                       With killers, and

                        mothers;

                       With my acts and

                       others'

          colliding and

          forgotten

like

stones.

I think about how right

I am.

         And feel angry at those who

         oppose me:

                             Who question and

                              doubt-face;

                              Inch back, then

                             about-face

          and leave like

          a tide

Off

the sand.

So I doubt, in the space

in between

                  My thought and next thought,

                  all I know.

                                    And there, for an

                                     instant,

                                     I want just to

                                    listen:

                unright, un

               wrong,

and

unseen.

I live out this body,

like you.

               We live out these bodies,

                in common.

                                    So if I'm right, maybe

                                    you are—

                                    And this gap is

                                   our scar.

              So Please,

     "help me be 

here with 

you
.”

Song of Why ...

{Melody - Click Here}

Why do people love?

                           'Cause it hurts to be alone.

And why do people care?

                         Because your pain looks like my own.

Then why don't people help?

                  'Cause sometimes it's just too far to go.

And why do people hate?

'Cause you can't love what you don't know.

                                 This life is fast and delicate,

                                     so we flinch and dodge to deal with it—

                                      we put our faith in shields and capes.

                                       And we want to believe there's some escape:

                                      to heaven, or something permanent;

                                   to a perfect and honest government;

                                to a safe and accepting society.

     

     What else do you need to know from me?

Why do people laugh?

                   Because we can't hold on to joy—

             It pours out and warms our friends,

… the same way that fear destroys.

And why are we afraid?

            Because we want to stay alive

       and, sometimes as we cling, forget

the reason we survive.

                                 All living things, the large and slight,

                                    they reach for something—plants for light,

                                      and bugs for leaves, and birds for twigs.

                                       These acts are small, but lives are big:

                                       for every goose is too a flock,

                                      and ant too a hive, and hollyhock

                                   too a field of flowers and grass. All kinds,

                               they carry each other: 

     I'm yours; you're mine.

Then why do people fight?

                             'Cause we get lost inside our selves

                           and pretend we're heroic victims

                who've earned more than living well.

       So we fight to prove we're best:

            most right, most strong, most good.

                 And then we take that space, that prize,

                       that praise—and hide the blood.

                                 So people will tell you histories,

                                    full of wars that made men enemies,

                                      and they'll say “This was the better side”

                                       where fewer were cut down and traumatized.

                                       But these made-up lines hide bandages:

                                     how we've blended traditions and languages,

                                  how the best any battle has ever done

                            was show us life is precious, and all are one.

So why do people hug?

                          Just to feel each other's breathing.

And why do you watch my eyes?

                                                      'Cause one day, I'll be leaving.

                                                           And on the day I close my doors,

                                                      I'll have nothing here inside me

                                           except echoes of the breaths I've felt—

                                  and your shining eyes—

                        to guide me.

The 7 stages of silent sages ...

“The divine is in us,” begins the sage.

“Then the less I leave in you, the more is in me,”

decrees a despot, and strikes him down.

“All religions are same,” continues the sage.

“Yes! They are not-science, not-science, not-science,”

chant the atheists, and strike him down.

“All life is shared life,” whispers the sage.

“If you want to upend the economy,”

snaps an investor, and strikes him down.

“Do they not see?” cries the sage.

“Of course we do,”

barks a Nazi, and strikes him down.

“Not see? Nazi!—that was clever,” laughs the sage.

“But offensive,”

writes a sociologist, and strikes him down.

“These offenses we feel are only tremors in a dream,” breathes the sage.

“I feel strapped to my own shit, literally; that is no dream,”

cries an infant, and strikes him down.

“Shhh! Listen. Did he say something!?” hush the students.

“,” pauses the sage with clear eyes,

and strikes them awedly.

JK Relationship Principles ...

(throwback - May 2015)

*Shout only to cover distance.

(without a careful voice, even kindly-defined words

burn off their kindness)

*Be honest with yourself about what you are saying.

(A demand decorated with 'Please,' a critique decorated with 'Thank you,'

are still a demand and a critique.

Only the simple center,

what you really mean,

resonates in your partner's heart.

So if you want to show them love

and appreciation, do it there)

* When the air feels still, ask about feelings.

(You don't have to talk about hearts when they're in sync,

but if you don't know where

your partner's heart is—

call out to it)

*When eyes look distant, talk about dreams.

(unspoken hopes

grow into discontentments;

small, hope-rewarding plans

grow into joys)

*When touch turns tedious, dedicate some time to making room.

(Moments spent in solace

revive everyone's desire to have company.

Cherish the edge of missing your partner,

so that you will never take their hand for granted.)

*You have a choice: be honest to improve this shared world,

or be honest to spread your own frustration—

endeavor for the first.

(When a puppy pees on a rug,

if you lovingly show that animal

the proper place for such acts,

it will see both your love and its own special duty.

Or, if you shake that animal vigorously

and rub its face in the mess,

it will see both your violence and its own failure to please you.

Both are honesty; one is kind.

And we are all puppies.)

*You have a choice: listen to learn more deeply about another person's experience,

or listen to find an opening for telling your own story again—

endeavor for the first.

(The longer you pay attention to a person,

the more you realize how little of their complex inner life

you can see from the surface—

you will always be a learner

in their presence.)

*You have a choice: believe that your partner knows little,

but wants you to be happy;

or believe that your partner knows everything,

and does things because they enjoy your anger with them—

act accordingly.

(Only those who claim to be mind-readers

can be held accountable for honoring your thoughts. So …

Forgive and accept slips that are not worth mentioning;

explain and redress acts that are unacceptable.

There is NO third category,

of things that need to change,

but need not be mentioned.)

*Say your piece on a topic once in a day;

from there, build on your words by actions.

(Conversations are like roads,

meant for traction.

Don't circle;

go forward.)

*Place sneezes and gas-clouds, dropped heels and swung elbows, mindfully.

(Every road in a partnership bends toward the common center:

just because your partner wasn't there

the last time you looked,

doesn't mean they aren't there now,

or won't be there soon.)