Yet how quickly
The cares of survival
And our place in the world
Rend that strong new cloth
Into threadbare tatters.

 

The hurts we suffer
And the hurts we inflict
Shorten our strides,
Strip away our kindness,
Leaving us bowed, hesitant.

 

We all need a place and a time,
Within and without,
Where we can learn to
Put down our burdens
And walk freely again.

 

A place of healing and growth,
Where we can drop our shields,
Extract the barbs that pierce us and
Take time to examine the wonder
And mystery of our own selves.

 

We need a quiet place of beauty
To saturate our beings
With reaching up to the light
Not down to the dark, so we might
Travel our path with kindness once again.

 

A visioning space of inspiration and intention
That helps us also to look outwards
And connect to everything around us.
For once we can see humanity as a whole
Only then are we, indeed, human.

 

There is serious work to be done,
But we must not forget to love and laugh,
For then hate and envy cannot thrive,
And when brothers see only brothers
There is no division.

 

So come, lay down your burdens,
Breathe deeply,
Feel the wonder and joy
Of being a child in the universe,
And remember what really matters.