To Anyone Who Wonders

To anyone who wonders
What it feels like

To live out beliefs

That differ
From the masses
But perfectly match
Your own

To take

A deep look
At long held
Assumptions
And decide
To change
Your mind

It feels mostly brave

And sometimes lonely

And also ironic

To be close to God

And judged as not

But mostly

I have to say
It just feels good
To be free

Nothing To Be Learned

Any time
We decide
There is nothing
To be learned
From someone else

A barrier is built

Where a bridge
Should be

Any time

We decide
What we have
To offer
Trumps
What someone else
Might contribute

We forfeit

An opportunity
To gain depth

We limit

Our potential
For growth

We miss

Sweet opportunities
To open
Ourselves up
To the world

And find

Our place
Within it

How The World Would Be

I wonder how
The world
Would be

If we gave

Each other
Some space

If we

Looked on
With admiration
As people
Worked out
Their beliefs
With fear
And trembling

And actually

Respected
What they found
Along the way

I wonder how

The world
Would be

If we simply

Owned
The journeys
We are called to

And stopped trying

To orchestrate
The endings
To journeys

That we

Are not
Even on

Guarded

When reactions
Are unexpected

When anger

Is intense
Or denial strong

It only

Makes me wonder
What it is
That’s being
Guarded

What secret

What belief
What thing
Is so sacred
That it can’t
Be revisited

What

Has come
To define us
So deeply
That it is
Off limits
For discussion

What makes us

Walk around
So guarded

Unwilling

To let
Guards down

Unable

To let
Each other in

You Don't Get To Know

You don’t
Get to know
What’s next

None of us do

Betrayal

Devastation
Disappointment

Peace

Contentment
Joy

Divorce

Death
Disability

Good Health

Rich friendships
Solid finances

We don’t get to know

And we can’t change
What’s coming

Not through prayer

Or good wishes
Or right living

What comes

Comes

What goes

Goes

And the story

Of our lives
Is written
As life unfolds

And we get to read it
As the ink is drying
And not
One moment
Before

I See You

I want you to hear this

I want you to know

You are not invisible

I want you to know

I see your life

I see it

I see how the world deals you

Blow after blow
Time and again
And yet
Somehow
You stand

And I want you to know

I admire
That kind
Of strength

I see also

When your legs give way
And you fall to the ground
And weep
For your losses

And I want you to know

I admire
That kind
Of honesty

I honor your life

As it is

I respect

Your journey

I don’t live

Your life
But I see clearly
The life
You have

I see

The hard choices
You make
Every day
Without help
To keep
Your world
Afloat

I see the secrets

That you keep
To keep
The peace

I see your pain

I see your grace
I see your strength
I see your fierce will
 
I see you

You are not invisible

And I wanted
To make sure
You knew that

Home

I don’t know
That I’ll ever
Find home
Again

That deep place

Of peace

That center

That kept me
Grounded
And whole

Home was lost

A long while back

And I’ve been homeless

Ever since

This is why

I travel through life now
With everything
I own
On my back
And in my soul

Unable

To put it down

Unable

To let any of it
Touch the ground
 
Until I’m sure
The ground
That I’m on
Is solid

Until I’m sure

The ground
Is worthy enough
To hold
Any home
I rebuild

Big

When things
Happen
To me
In this life

They happen

To me
Big

In the very

Worst
Of ways

No tiny problems

Come my way

Only impossible

Situations
That repeat

No small fires

Smoldering and warm
Only infernos
That burn my life
To ashes

Nothing of

Small consequence
Only high stakes living
That could very well cost a life
 
I wish
Things happened
To me
Small

But they don’t

Things happen

To me
Big

And demand of me

Strength
Bigger still

More Food

I need
More food
For my soul

Need to be filled

With the goodness
Of life

Need

More sunshine
Fewer storms

Life is taking

More than it is giving

And the storms

Just don’t seem
To be ending

The door

That lets pain
Into my life
Has been widened

Requiring me

To work
So much harder
At living

Leaving me tired

And hungry
For peace

I need

More food
For my soul

I need this now

Maybe we all do

Leaning In

I’m tired
Of leaning in
To pain

Tired of looking

For the lessons in it

Tired of

Powering through

Leaning in

Is not working
For me

I think now
I’ll lean away

And see

If that works
Any better