Watching
an improbable
hummingbird
dart beneath
my deck,
I wonder
how being
without thinking
must feel.
Good,
I imagine.
- mce
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Long Ago Morning - Via Sappho
Just as day broke,
mission safely over,
red tracers reached up
to grab our chopper:
Ah, the rosy-fingered dawn!
- mce
mission safely over,
red tracers reached up
to grab our chopper:
Ah, the rosy-fingered dawn!
- mce
Monday, August 3, 2009
Squirrel Relativity
The squirrel
that regularly
visits my deck,
blinks at me
through
the dirty
plate glass,
unconcerned
as a fat, gray
Buddha,
just going about
his business,
casually and
without concern.
I can almost
hear him thinking:
what is that
in there?
- mce
that regularly
visits my deck,
blinks at me
through
the dirty
plate glass,
unconcerned
as a fat, gray
Buddha,
just going about
his business,
casually and
without concern.
I can almost
hear him thinking:
what is that
in there?
- mce
Why Suicide Remains Only A Comforting Notion
The hooples say
life is all about
making good choices.
A quart of whiskey
and a forty-five
could end this madness
in less than a blink.
How strong
the raging temptation
to act a god!
Yet somehow,
with my luck,
I'd manage to miss.
- mce
life is all about
making good choices.
A quart of whiskey
and a forty-five
could end this madness
in less than a blink.
How strong
the raging temptation
to act a god!
Yet somehow,
with my luck,
I'd manage to miss.
- mce
Explanation - for JLB
"Hearts will never be made practical
until they are made unbreakable."
- Tinman (Wizard of Oz)
Met you
in a moment
of anguish;
loved you
in a time
of trouble;
lost you
to a world
wider
than mine.
Shouldn't
have done
any of it
at all.
Should have
known better;
should have been
practical.
But I couldn't
help myself,
and I'm glad of it:
you altered
my universe.
- mce
until they are made unbreakable."
- Tinman (Wizard of Oz)
Met you
in a moment
of anguish;
loved you
in a time
of trouble;
lost you
to a world
wider
than mine.
Shouldn't
have done
any of it
at all.
Should have
known better;
should have been
practical.
But I couldn't
help myself,
and I'm glad of it:
you altered
my universe.
- mce
Saturday, August 1, 2009
How To Look At A Naked Woman
Appreciate the flesh,
but examine the heart;
one lasts,
the other can't.
- mce
but examine the heart;
one lasts,
the other can't.
- mce
First Things First
The heart
grows weary
of endless
debate.
Abstraction:
a human talent,
but not
a human virtue.
Keep it simple,
concrete, and local.
What can be touched,
can be counted upon.
Live now;
die later.
In between,
be alive
to the glory
and possibility
of Creation.
Pursue the eternal
through the portal
of your living flesh.
Difficult,
frustrating,
necessary.
If only this
can be done,
it is enough.
- mce
grows weary
of endless
debate.
Abstraction:
a human talent,
but not
a human virtue.
Keep it simple,
concrete, and local.
What can be touched,
can be counted upon.
Live now;
die later.
In between,
be alive
to the glory
and possibility
of Creation.
Pursue the eternal
through the portal
of your living flesh.
Difficult,
frustrating,
necessary.
If only this
can be done,
it is enough.
- mce
OK, Let Us Try Again
"To be alive is to be broken; to be broken is to stand in need of grace."
- Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel
Morning pokes a hole
in the nightmare fabric
of my tortured dreams.
Sunlight floods in,
soothing my heart
with green and bird song
and the gentleness
of flowing creek water.
Unexpected respite;
undeserved relief.
Coffee and Mozart
in a cathedral of trees;
a wafting breeze
caressing my mortal skin.
All good reasons
to try
to live another day.
Funny how often
beauty follows despair;
how the voice of God
lifts and sings out
in the jagged desert
of the broken soul.
Perhaps, this
is what is meant
by Grace.
- mce
- Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel
Morning pokes a hole
in the nightmare fabric
of my tortured dreams.
Sunlight floods in,
soothing my heart
with green and bird song
and the gentleness
of flowing creek water.
Unexpected respite;
undeserved relief.
Coffee and Mozart
in a cathedral of trees;
a wafting breeze
caressing my mortal skin.
All good reasons
to try
to live another day.
Funny how often
beauty follows despair;
how the voice of God
lifts and sings out
in the jagged desert
of the broken soul.
Perhaps, this
is what is meant
by Grace.
- mce
Friday, July 31, 2009
The Bitching Blues
Bored shitless,
pottering about the shack,
chain-smoking,
nothing compelling to read,
out of beer,
too early
to get high,
no one to talk with,
same birds and trees,
even the creek
sounds repetitive.
Oh, these mad,
unsettled days:
how they do wear.
Sometimes the desire
just to drive
until I am out
of gas and money
becomes a mania.
Contentment,
what did you say
your address was?
I'd like to visit
for a while.
- mce
pottering about the shack,
chain-smoking,
nothing compelling to read,
out of beer,
too early
to get high,
no one to talk with,
same birds and trees,
even the creek
sounds repetitive.
Oh, these mad,
unsettled days:
how they do wear.
Sometimes the desire
just to drive
until I am out
of gas and money
becomes a mania.
Contentment,
what did you say
your address was?
I'd like to visit
for a while.
- mce
Chewing The Cud Of Memory And Divorce - For Uli
Our marriage
began with laughter,
lust, hopes, plans
and the desire
to last until
death parted us.
It ended
with harsh words,
icy silences,
disdain, contempt
and flight.
Between the two
a lifetime leaked away.
Was it worth it?
This question,
and what went wrong,
will haunt me
to my death.
- mce
began with laughter,
lust, hopes, plans
and the desire
to last until
death parted us.
It ended
with harsh words,
icy silences,
disdain, contempt
and flight.
Between the two
a lifetime leaked away.
Was it worth it?
This question,
and what went wrong,
will haunt me
to my death.
- mce
A Very Real Disease
Money makes men mad.
Caught in the dollar,
they lose touch
with the real values
beyond the cash nexus,
forget that love and loyalty,
friendship and honesty,
outlast worldly treasure;
forget that green
is the color
of more than currency.
They know the price,
but not the place;
the cost of living,
but not the worth.
Iniquitous Mammon,
twists the souls of men,
infecting most,
exempting few,
reducing life's joys
to the tedious,
inhuman bottom line.
- mce
Caught in the dollar,
they lose touch
with the real values
beyond the cash nexus,
forget that love and loyalty,
friendship and honesty,
outlast worldly treasure;
forget that green
is the color
of more than currency.
They know the price,
but not the place;
the cost of living,
but not the worth.
Iniquitous Mammon,
twists the souls of men,
infecting most,
exempting few,
reducing life's joys
to the tedious,
inhuman bottom line.
- mce
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Please Barmaid, Not Another Round!
So much rain.
I feel more and more
like a drenched mammal,
less and less
like a human.
And yet it continues.
Branch and creek surge,
tree leaves drip tears,
blueberries burst,
everywhere sticky mud.
The earth cannot
absorb this
this fluid bounty,
precious and necessary,
but too much,
too quickly.
As with life's often
painful torrents,
this would be easier
to sip than gulp.
And yet,
we are bound
to drink up
all we are served.
- mce
I feel more and more
like a drenched mammal,
less and less
like a human.
And yet it continues.
Branch and creek surge,
tree leaves drip tears,
blueberries burst,
everywhere sticky mud.
The earth cannot
absorb this
this fluid bounty,
precious and necessary,
but too much,
too quickly.
As with life's often
painful torrents,
this would be easier
to sip than gulp.
And yet,
we are bound
to drink up
all we are served.
- mce
The View From The Dump Truck
The beauty
of high summer
just past its apogee.
Iron weed, bull thistle,
chicory, goldenrod.
Fields mown earlier,
left alone since,
restore themselves
to abundant,
tenacious life.
This moment explodes,
ripe and fecund,
warm and verdant,
green and glowing.
Yet, even now,
autumn whispers
its soft hello
as winter,
just behind,
looks upon the scene,
patiently waiting.
Seasons upon seasons,
change and renewal,
never ending.
-mce
of high summer
just past its apogee.
Iron weed, bull thistle,
chicory, goldenrod.
Fields mown earlier,
left alone since,
restore themselves
to abundant,
tenacious life.
This moment explodes,
ripe and fecund,
warm and verdant,
green and glowing.
Yet, even now,
autumn whispers
its soft hello
as winter,
just behind,
looks upon the scene,
patiently waiting.
Seasons upon seasons,
change and renewal,
never ending.
-mce
For My Son, As His World Changes
"Courage is the virtue upon which all other virtues depend." - Socrates
The world consists
of daily fire fights
and constant skirmishes.
Beginning
and beginning anew
require the most personal
type of valor.
Loss and change
can drain
even a hero's spirit.
Just showing up for life
sometimes demands
more courage
than you think
you can muster.
Look within.
To be a man
demands a warrior's heart.
I know there is one
beating in your chest.
Listen to it.
- mce
The world consists
of daily fire fights
and constant skirmishes.
Beginning
and beginning anew
require the most personal
type of valor.
Loss and change
can drain
even a hero's spirit.
Just showing up for life
sometimes demands
more courage
than you think
you can muster.
Look within.
To be a man
demands a warrior's heart.
I know there is one
beating in your chest.
Listen to it.
- mce
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
A Moment's Decision
Sometimes
the dice
simply cry out
to be rolled:
pass them bones
over, God;
baby needs
a new pair
of shoes.
_ mce
the dice
simply cry out
to be rolled:
pass them bones
over, God;
baby needs
a new pair
of shoes.
_ mce
One More Princess Poem
I peered into the dark moat
surrounding your heart,
no bridge in sight,
recognized the danger
and leaped in anyway
hoping to swim safely across.
Only you can know
what happened next.
- mce
surrounding your heart,
no bridge in sight,
recognized the danger
and leaped in anyway
hoping to swim safely across.
Only you can know
what happened next.
- mce
The Nocturnal Predator
Loneliness
came hunting
last night.
Carefully, it stalked my cabin,
searching every black corner,
knowing it would find me
awake and solitary in the darkness.
It did.
- mce
came hunting
last night.
Carefully, it stalked my cabin,
searching every black corner,
knowing it would find me
awake and solitary in the darkness.
It did.
- mce
Post-Coital Tristesse
If, in the afterglow of passion,
we two, spent and glistening,
cannot fall back and gaze
into our best friend's eyes,
what do we really have?
- mce
we two, spent and glistening,
cannot fall back and gaze
into our best friend's eyes,
what do we really have?
- mce
Monday, July 27, 2009
Invocation And Entreaty
Sing, Muse,
the broken dreams
of an aging man.
Even in my ruin,
lend me your voice.
So much yet to say
in these waning days.
Share with me
the divine fire
of inspiration
that I might breathe
a few final words
before I must move on.
Sing, Muse,
do not abandon me yet:
let your songs be mine
a little while longer.
- mce
the broken dreams
of an aging man.
Even in my ruin,
lend me your voice.
So much yet to say
in these waning days.
Share with me
the divine fire
of inspiration
that I might breathe
a few final words
before I must move on.
Sing, Muse,
do not abandon me yet:
let your songs be mine
a little while longer.
- mce
Old Man, Early Morning
The older I get, the more difficult
each awakening morning.
Tired and achy,
dazed and wondering,
another day arrives
on the heels of nightmares,
fragmented dreams,
disturbing visions.
Sleep, I know, however fitful,
but oh, Sweet Lady Repose,
will you ever visit my bed again?
- mce
each awakening morning.
Tired and achy,
dazed and wondering,
another day arrives
on the heels of nightmares,
fragmented dreams,
disturbing visions.
Sleep, I know, however fitful,
but oh, Sweet Lady Repose,
will you ever visit my bed again?
- mce
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Enjoying My Winnings
The unexpected sound
of creek water flowing
in the still of morning;
better by far
than winning the lottery
or, maybe,
in a sense,
the same thing.
- mce
of creek water flowing
in the still of morning;
better by far
than winning the lottery
or, maybe,
in a sense,
the same thing.
- mce
Alienation
If you don't know
your watershed,
the names
of local trees
and plants,
who grows
what you eat,
where your
waste goes,
and what
generates
your electricity,
how do you know
where you are,
much less
who you are?
We are local
or we are nothing
at all.
- mce
your watershed,
the names
of local trees
and plants,
who grows
what you eat,
where your
waste goes,
and what
generates
your electricity,
how do you know
where you are,
much less
who you are?
We are local
or we are nothing
at all.
- mce
Thursday, July 23, 2009
The Great Misreading
"Dominion over all the earth..."
This was a gift granted
that we might,
through nurture and husbandry,
earn our way back to Eden,
never a command
to ravish
and ruin the earth
for profit and ease.
When a god
kindly provides you
a fresh creation
and a second chance,
be aware that
the work of your hands
engenders providence.
What you make of it,
you make of yourself.
- mce
This was a gift granted
that we might,
through nurture and husbandry,
earn our way back to Eden,
never a command
to ravish
and ruin the earth
for profit and ease.
When a god
kindly provides you
a fresh creation
and a second chance,
be aware that
the work of your hands
engenders providence.
What you make of it,
you make of yourself.
- mce
Job/Work: The Contrast V 2.0
Leaving this valley
to make some money.
The cacophony of toil
in the wider world:
air break blast,
traffic blare,
hydraulic whine,
compressor knock.
Ears and heart assaulted
by the necessary noise
of getting things done.
But later, back
in the patch,
blueberries
repose in stillness,
fat, indigo droplets
awaiting the touch
of my gathering hands.
At most, the earth sighs,
the breeze whispers,
the birds intone
songs ever fresh.
Real work
without din
or commotion.
The perfect blend
of effort and silence;
meditation, not drudgery,
quiet and complete;
the healing consolation
of honest sweat
and human doing.
This is possible;
this is nearby.
Blessed relief.
- mce
to make some money.
The cacophony of toil
in the wider world:
air break blast,
traffic blare,
hydraulic whine,
compressor knock.
Ears and heart assaulted
by the necessary noise
of getting things done.
But later, back
in the patch,
blueberries
repose in stillness,
fat, indigo droplets
awaiting the touch
of my gathering hands.
At most, the earth sighs,
the breeze whispers,
the birds intone
songs ever fresh.
Real work
without din
or commotion.
The perfect blend
of effort and silence;
meditation, not drudgery,
quiet and complete;
the healing consolation
of honest sweat
and human doing.
This is possible;
this is nearby.
Blessed relief.
- mce
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Petition
Come to me, love.
Put your body in my hands;
let your heart snuggle in mine.
Be the voice in my throat,
my warmth against the chill.
Together holds delights
solitary cannot imagine.
Let us sing, love, a duet
sweet as this morning bird song,
notes intertwined, filling
the day's freshness with harmony.
Only trust, love, and let the music begin.
We will teach each other songs
unimaginable alone.
Only sing with me, love.
All of this and more awaits.
Put your body in my hands;
let your heart snuggle in mine.
Be the voice in my throat,
my warmth against the chill.
Together holds delights
solitary cannot imagine.
Let us sing, love, a duet
sweet as this morning bird song,
notes intertwined, filling
the day's freshness with harmony.
Only trust, love, and let the music begin.
We will teach each other songs
unimaginable alone.
Only sing with me, love.
All of this and more awaits.
Shooting Craps Or Karma?
Once, desperate
for freedom
I quit the game,
walked out the door
and didn't look back.
Now, reduced to a car full
of basic belongings
and a little cash on hand,
I have accomplished
the bare minimum
I thought must suffice.
No woman,
no kids,
no mortgage,
no boss,
no chains.
Fine.
But in the marrow
of emancipation,
something stirs.
The needs
for community,
companionship
and home
tug at my heart's
hard won, but
lonely freedom.
Somewhere,
the road must end.
Somewhere,
the end
must become
a beginning.
Perhaps
it comes down
to making
a choice.
Could this be
the time
and the place?
Only one way
to know:
shake them bones;
roll them dice;
get back
in the game;
take a chance.
- mce
for freedom
I quit the game,
walked out the door
and didn't look back.
Now, reduced to a car full
of basic belongings
and a little cash on hand,
I have accomplished
the bare minimum
I thought must suffice.
No woman,
no kids,
no mortgage,
no boss,
no chains.
Fine.
But in the marrow
of emancipation,
something stirs.
The needs
for community,
companionship
and home
tug at my heart's
hard won, but
lonely freedom.
Somewhere,
the road must end.
Somewhere,
the end
must become
a beginning.
Perhaps
it comes down
to making
a choice.
Could this be
the time
and the place?
Only one way
to know:
shake them bones;
roll them dice;
get back
in the game;
take a chance.
- mce
Monday, July 20, 2009
Blueberry Bhikkhu
Picking berries
for a buck and a half
a pound;
scuffling
for minimum wage
day jobs;
selling my shit
on Ebay
to make the rent:
the amazing
creativity
and hustle
involved in
just being poor.
Step outside
the hoople
safety net
and you notice
the details;
you scour
each moment
for every dollar.
Want bites
and makes you
pay attention.
Rich folks
must spend
large amounts
on Birkenstocks
and mindfulness
seminars.
I just wake up,
and wake up:
a mendicant monk
in a hungry world.
- mce
for a buck and a half
a pound;
scuffling
for minimum wage
day jobs;
selling my shit
on Ebay
to make the rent:
the amazing
creativity
and hustle
involved in
just being poor.
Step outside
the hoople
safety net
and you notice
the details;
you scour
each moment
for every dollar.
Want bites
and makes you
pay attention.
Rich folks
must spend
large amounts
on Birkenstocks
and mindfulness
seminars.
I just wake up,
and wake up:
a mendicant monk
in a hungry world.
- mce
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Kindle Prices Reduced - Ned Ludd Responds...
Dear Sirs:
Send me no more offers
for your unnecessary, $300,
bullshit electronic gadget.
Nothing fits the hands and heart
better than the heft
of a printed and bound book.
Nothing ever will.
Contemptuously,
Ned.
- mce
Send me no more offers
for your unnecessary, $300,
bullshit electronic gadget.
Nothing fits the hands and heart
better than the heft
of a printed and bound book.
Nothing ever will.
Contemptuously,
Ned.
- mce
Not In War Only
Times show up in life
when a man must decide
to face the fire or to flee.
They have visited me before
with fabulously mixed results.
Now again I hear,
if only in imagination,
the sound of bullets,
the whine of shrapnel,
the drone of rotors,
whispering to me:
Your life; your choice;
stand your ground
or run away.
May my heart choose wisely.
- mce
when a man must decide
to face the fire or to flee.
They have visited me before
with fabulously mixed results.
Now again I hear,
if only in imagination,
the sound of bullets,
the whine of shrapnel,
the drone of rotors,
whispering to me:
Your life; your choice;
stand your ground
or run away.
May my heart choose wisely.
- mce
Fatherhood
Not an easy thing
to be the father of sons.
Inevitably, you must
disappoint them;
inevitably, they must
turn away from you.
Embrace the necessity
of this distancing.
Do not become
an impediment
to the world
they must inherit,
the world that
you can never know.
Be joyful.
Trust that what
you have planted
will flourish
beyond your reach.
Dream the futures
you will never see.
- mce
to be the father of sons.
Inevitably, you must
disappoint them;
inevitably, they must
turn away from you.
Embrace the necessity
of this distancing.
Do not become
an impediment
to the world
they must inherit,
the world that
you can never know.
Be joyful.
Trust that what
you have planted
will flourish
beyond your reach.
Dream the futures
you will never see.
- mce
The Magic of Vaccinium Corymbosum
Sunshine slowly warms
my aching, Yankee neck.
Disappointments
and failures slip
far away, seem vague.
Stretch, touch, pluck,
gather and enjoy.
Experience enchantment
in a handful of blueberries.
Nature's healing charms,
cast widely, within reach,
available for the picking.
- mce
my aching, Yankee neck.
Disappointments
and failures slip
far away, seem vague.
Stretch, touch, pluck,
gather and enjoy.
Experience enchantment
in a handful of blueberries.
Nature's healing charms,
cast widely, within reach,
available for the picking.
- mce
"Not Universal Love, But To Be Loved Alone."
Be my lover
and I will bring you
blueberries and love songs,
smiles and sunshine.
Let the mad world
spin violently
out of control
as it always has,
as it always will.
Blueberries and love songs,
smiles and sunshine;
respite within chaos.
Only take my hand, love:
no better life is possible.
- mce
and I will bring you
blueberries and love songs,
smiles and sunshine.
Let the mad world
spin violently
out of control
as it always has,
as it always will.
Blueberries and love songs,
smiles and sunshine;
respite within chaos.
Only take my hand, love:
no better life is possible.
- mce
Be Here Now
An unexpected chill
kisses this soft, July morning:
a delectable shiver arouses
my still sleepy body.
The world delights
in providing tiny,
precious surprises,
if only we notice,
and appreciate.
Awakening involves more
than simply getting out of bed.
- mce
kisses this soft, July morning:
a delectable shiver arouses
my still sleepy body.
The world delights
in providing tiny,
precious surprises,
if only we notice,
and appreciate.
Awakening involves more
than simply getting out of bed.
- mce
Friday, July 17, 2009
No Need To Kiss More Frogs
When you reach
that unexpected point
where you understand
that no magical person
will be showing up
to save you,
life suddenly becomes
very interesting,
indeed.
- mce
that unexpected point
where you understand
that no magical person
will be showing up
to save you,
life suddenly becomes
very interesting,
indeed.
- mce
Simple Gifts - for Steve and Nadine
A few beers,
good friends,
shared food
and conversation.
These little things
provide shelter
from the storm.
These little things
are not so little
at all.
- mce
good friends,
shared food
and conversation.
These little things
provide shelter
from the storm.
These little things
are not so little
at all.
- mce
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Spring Creek Surprise
The rushing sound
of creek water
punctuates the quiet
of morning:
God murmurs ecstasy.
- mce
of creek water
punctuates the quiet
of morning:
God murmurs ecstasy.
- mce
I'll Be Ready In A Minute...
A night of storms,
thunder, lightening,
downpours.
Woke to four feet
of water racing down
the creek bed
dry for over a month.
Nature: a woman
who changes her clothes
and her mind
in a minute.
Treat her like a wife;
tell her she looks fine;
stay out of her way.
- mce
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Walking In Tennessee, Remembering Greece
Frost heave,
water wash,
root pull:
implacable forces
of nature,
ever patient,
never sleeping.
This WPA erosion wall
built of heavy,
hand-placed stone,
not seventy years old,
now crumbling.
Knossos, Mycenae, Troy:
what remains
but rock, roots,
ruins and rubble?
Ever striving,
we imagine
ourselves the masters
of what we touch.
We craft the world,
mark it grandly
with great skill,
shape it
to our design,
but only for awhile.
No matter the effort,
our best creations
devolve to
random heaps
of broken masonry
trod upon
by clueless tourists.
In the end,
only the earth abides.
- mce
(Click on the above photo to see it full sized.)
An Eternal Question Regarding Progeny
Children: why do they arrive
with such a huge price tag,
but no instruction manual?
- mce
with such a huge price tag,
but no instruction manual?
- mce
The Erotica Of Awakening
Morning elegance:
birdsong and sunlight
radiate potential;
this bright day
renews an offering
of hope and desire.
I don't deserve it;
no one does.
A bird does not
deserve the sky;
a tree does not
deserve the earth.
Existence, God,
fate and people,
owe us nothing.
No matter that
I am a flawed man,
an impure concoction
of good and evil
stumbling like a drunk
through this tainted,
gorgeous garden
of Creation.
I will take life
into my arms like a lover
for as long
as she will have me,
caress her, whisper to her,
embrace her, enter her,
cleave unto her,
penetrate her mysteries
with all the energy
I can muster.
And when
we are both spent,
our ephemeral coupling
inevitably over,
the climax of being
finally reached,
I will die satisfied,
breathlessly content,
thankful to have been
simply a man,
simply in the world.
- mce
birdsong and sunlight
radiate potential;
this bright day
renews an offering
of hope and desire.
I don't deserve it;
no one does.
A bird does not
deserve the sky;
a tree does not
deserve the earth.
Existence, God,
fate and people,
owe us nothing.
No matter that
I am a flawed man,
an impure concoction
of good and evil
stumbling like a drunk
through this tainted,
gorgeous garden
of Creation.
I will take life
into my arms like a lover
for as long
as she will have me,
caress her, whisper to her,
embrace her, enter her,
cleave unto her,
penetrate her mysteries
with all the energy
I can muster.
And when
we are both spent,
our ephemeral coupling
inevitably over,
the climax of being
finally reached,
I will die satisfied,
breathlessly content,
thankful to have been
simply a man,
simply in the world.
- mce
No Saints, No Monsters - for RME
Life is not
a black and white
photograph.
At our best,
we are never
innocent;
at our worst,
never guilty.
Reality comprises
infinite shades
of gray.
Fumbling through
the fog of life,
we hurt
and are hurt
in turn,
love and are
loved in turn.
Neither feels
from inside
as it appears
from outside.
You can never know
another man's blues,
never feel
another man's pain.
Accept that.
Be slow to judge,
hope your sins
are forgiven,
forgive those
who have sinned
against you.
If you wish to be human,
there is no other choice.
Compassion, that most
demanding virtue:
absolutely difficult,
equally necessary.
Practice, fail, continue.
There is no other life.
-mce
a black and white
photograph.
At our best,
we are never
innocent;
at our worst,
never guilty.
Reality comprises
infinite shades
of gray.
Fumbling through
the fog of life,
we hurt
and are hurt
in turn,
love and are
loved in turn.
Neither feels
from inside
as it appears
from outside.
You can never know
another man's blues,
never feel
another man's pain.
Accept that.
Be slow to judge,
hope your sins
are forgiven,
forgive those
who have sinned
against you.
If you wish to be human,
there is no other choice.
Compassion, that most
demanding virtue:
absolutely difficult,
equally necessary.
Practice, fail, continue.
There is no other life.
-mce
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