page 76

the young tribesman had three means
to kill his enemy laid out in front of him:
a rock tied to a stick to bludgeon the victim
to death. a clay flask with toxic herbs to
poison the victim to death. and a bow with
a single arrow to shoot his victim to death.
the tribes had been waging wars for years.
the tribesman looked at the weapons and at his
enemy---whom killed his family and his crops.
but the tribesman was tired. he had grown
weary of death. he gave his enemy another
look and, instead, grabbed a bag of acorns---
pulling from it a single seed.

Bring him here. My enemy must be near.
said the tribesman.

pushed to his knees and his hands bound,
the enemy kept his eyes down.

Today. We are done. I mark this spot
for this seed. And you, must use your life,
now, to grow a tree.

the enemy looked up with relief.

I make this your duty. To grow this tree.
If it dies, you will not die, but love will
never grow its leaves. We will always fight.
We will kill, cry, and starve. We will never
have peace.

time passed.
the seed grew to become the largest
and most sacred tree in the valley
to last.

preserving nonviolence,
maintaining the will to live,
not simply for a single member,
but for a new generation to give.

:::

when You speak to me

i cannot discern how far

from the door Your lips stay.

whisper close? if only.

You whisper too far to say.

talk to me so i may know Your

distance of sound.

the distance at which Your heart

may finally be found.

---if not,

may it be lost in what is Profound.

:::

a candle in the dark still has a wick;

let yourself illuminate,

so others will bow their heads

in your light

and take themselves out of their

own darkness.

:::

we feel.

we receive what is deserved

or what is undeserved.

we feel deserved.

or we feel undeserved;

we are either outcome.

or simultaneously the two.

differently.

we feel differently.

we feel undeserved.

or we choose to feel differently;

to on-purposefully feel,

to on-purposefully teach

ourselves to feel deserved.

even more so,

to on-purposefully realize

our life, despite receiving

reassurance or neglect,

is innately deserving.