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each of us is a song,

a melodic symphony

of harmony and disharmony,

love and heartache,

certainty and uncertainty.

each with a beginning.

each with a middle.

each with an end.

but we, too, are the composers;

in our hand, is the power

to wield a masterpiece.

        so i ask you then---

        what will it be?

        a rendition?

        or an original?

:::

there is something nearer to you

than your fingerprint---

branded nearest to your being;

when one knows of true presence,

one might cry at the sight

of his own soul.

:::

you are the sun

and i, the moon.

we are different,

but we are complements;

you make me shine,

and i allow you to sleep.

:::

remember,

when our toughest mountains are conquered,

they become jagged hills,

sizable mounds,

large elevations,

dime-sized dots pinched between our fingers.

persistence, perspective, and time

due conquer the toughest climbs.

:::

i drank

from the Fountain of Folly.

the slurred speech of my heart knew better

than to love with its eyes closed

and heart unhealed.

i wrote too many letters of endearment---

scripted letters until my fingers bled.

a return letter was received.

        oh how sobering

        are the words of resignation.

:::

oh world you are weeping.

why is it that we continue

to add to your tears?

if for one day

we could go without Harm and its constituents,

we may catch a glimpse

of that which we are so starved...

peace.

:::

why must we, in our haste,

flick the ant away from exploring?

no ignorant hand

has ever shooed us away

from setting foot

on each of Earth's continents.

next time, pause in your haste;

allow the ant to explore

with the same amount of curiosity

of which we are so familiar.

:::

rising.

falling.

swirling.

swaying.

pulling.

pushing.

(silent,)

until they furl under their own weight

and crash with a white,

foaming mouth at the surface.

---the emotions.

:::

the Inner Puppeteer

pulls and tilts us to our will.

she makes a mockery of us---

a display of naïve irony;

every moment, we are helplessly aware

and helplessly blindsided

to her tugging and yanking gestures.

giving name to her types of work

is a pathetic attempt to convince ourselves

we possess a higher control and insight.

we have given Emotion her many names,

but we fail to acknowledge

there is nothing we can do

to cease performing as her puppets.

:::

kindness

can be small in size

but large in influence.

:::

the grass morphs into a backdrop

of pale orange, beige, and yellow hues.

leaves are exiled from the home

of their branches,

and others run from their birthplace

like wild bandits in the folding winds.

the moisture in the air dissipates,

and the symphony of birdsong

lulls to a quiet quartet.

Autumn is not the dawn

of Winter's deceased.

it is simply another phase of living

along the Continuum.

:::

mama,

i want to be in love

like you and papa someday.

"Is that so?"

yeah, you two are always

so happy together!

what do i have to do

to be that way

with someone else someday?

"I've always admired

your curiosity my sweetheart.

Well, when you get older,

you'll find being in love

and being with someone

can be quite difficult.

Life can be hard. In fact,

there were times your father and I

were not so happy."

really?

"Mhmm. But I'll tell you this,

you can't let the many hardships of life

interfere with the most important part of love."

what is that?

"It's connection."

"It's pollen that connects

the flower and the bee.

It's the moon that connects

the ocean and the tides.

It's water that connects

the animals and the valley."

"Whatever connection

you make with someone---

do everything in your power

to keep it."

:::

"Ha! I've finally done it!"

"After more than a hundred, long, grueling years,

I have taken 'human' out of the 'human race'!

Now it's just a fearful race to run away

from one another so as not to fall ill

and die at the fatal breath of my sickness."

"No more handshakes!

No more hugs!

No more ball games!

No more live music!

No more dating!

Being born alone!

Dying alone!

I couldn't BE any happier!"

Google Search Results:

"KINDNESS DURING COVID-19:

THE CONTAGION WE WANT TO KEEP..."

"THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS:

SUPPORTING EACH OTHER

DURING THE PANDEMIC"

"LOCAL GIRLS START NEWSCAST

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AND INSPIRATION DURING

THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK"

"#SOMETHINGGOOD: STORIES

OF COMFORT, GENEROSITY,

SOLIDARITY AMID PANDEMIC"

"CORONAVIRUS STORIES:

KINDNESS AND JOY EMERGE

IN MIDST OF COVID-19..."

"7 HEARTWARMING STORIES

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"FROM THE STAGGERING TOLL

OF THE PANDEMIC, A SHARED

STORY OF HUMAN KINDNESS EMERGES"

"COMPASSION IN THE AGE

OF COVID-19"

"STORIES OF IMPACT:

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC"

"No. No---no---no---no. NOOOO!"

"How is this happening?

I was so careful! So methodical!

Where did I---what did I...

I was so caught up

in destroying the human race...

I forgot

to destroy the human spirit."

:::

pain often

sets love in motion.

let's call it

Compassion.

:::

longing Forgetful's tomorrow.

yearning Nostalgia's past.

wandering Confusion's present.

waiting Discernments decision.

:::

dive deeply

to the depths of yourself

that are rarely seen

and sit on the floor of the seabed

with them.

extend a gentle hand of acceptance

to this rust-painted shipwreck,

and you yourself might suddenly

become more buoyant.