page 17

do not step in someone else's shoes,
as the old saying goes;

shoes prevent feeling.

their rubber bottoms prevent
even the owner from touching bare skin

to rocky ground, soft grass, cold water,
hot pavement.

to know another is to witness an undressing
so vulnerable and intimate,

it would make sex laughable.

be with the other so intensely!
watch them take off their conditions:

first the socks,
second the shirt,
third the pants,
fourth the undergarments,
fifth the skin.

what remains is the purity of soul
untouched by fabric or tissue of any kind.

let yourself do the same.

undress and let them see you
as you are in your rawness.

:::

my finger burned by the stove
is a simple sting.

my ankle bent oddly by a fall
makes my gate slightly sore and uneven.

my teeth pinching from a cold drink
is a small wince in my face.

my this, my that, any bodily pain hurts.

it is always been tolerable.
now, it is an innocent slap on the wrist.

yet,

the pain You give
swallows
encompasses
decreases
drowns
suppresses
numbs
depletes
and constricts.

i try to say, "i hate You for this!"
but, before i utter the subject, this,

joy expels
releases
surges
rescues
surrenders
revives
immerses
and expands.

that pain, hurts.
Your pain, cures.

:::

the mind is the mass incarcerator.

the only way to free oneself from it

is by the heart.

use your heart to understand

your cell was always unlocked.