Friday, October 31, 2014

The Ones with Fear


Tao has no need to eavesdrop.
God has no need to spy.
Allah knows we're finding our way.

We are the nosy ones.
We are the ones who have to know.
We are the ones living in fear.


Thursday, October 30, 2014

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Bad Investment


The best government
that corruption can buy
will always turn out
to be a bad investment
in the long run,
but that doesn't stop
people from putting
their money down.


Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Two Lights


I live by two lights.

The first shows me that
I'm only one among many.

The second shows me that
the many are still only One.


Monday, October 27, 2014

Pair of Hells


Hell comes in pairs.

First is the hell we make
for those who aren't like us.

Second is the hell we make
for ourselves when
we cast others into hell.

The first is delicious.
The second is deadly.


Sunday, October 26, 2014

Trust and Faith


Trust is backed
by experience.

Faith is backed
by expectation.

Trust looks forward.
Faith looks back.


Saturday, October 25, 2014

No Excuse


Poverty is no excuse
for irresponsibility --
whether the poverty of the poor
or the poverty of the rich.

We all feel better
when we contribute
to the whole.

When we take
more than we give,
our days grow darker.


Friday, October 24, 2014

The Hell We Create


No angry God.
No fiery pit.
No sinners dangling.

The only hell
is the hell we create
for one another.


Thursday, October 23, 2014

The Table of Ideas


Everybody has a place
at the table of ideas.

Even bad ideas
can spark better ones.

We're smarter in community
than we think we are.


Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Which Fears


It seems that
every century
adds three zeroes
to what it takes
to be wealthy.

Millionaires
to billionaires
to trillionaires.

The numbers
don't matter, though.
What matters are
the fears that drive
the accumulation.


Tuesday, October 21, 2014

In Service


We are all servants.

We may not always
see our servanthood,
but we are all servants.

Even masters are servants,
although it's harder for them
to recognize this.

The question isn't
whether we're servants,
but rather to whom or what
we give ourselves in service.


Monday, October 20, 2014

Returning to Light


We're drawn toward light
because we're made of light.

Light returning to light.


Sunday, October 19, 2014

Neglected House


The greater the span
between rich and poor,
the thinner the floor
on which the wealthy play.

Like a neglected house,
collapse becomes inevitable.


Saturday, October 18, 2014

The Neighborhood


One does not
have to live
next door
to be counted
a neighbor.

Our neighborhood
is always larger
than we think.


Friday, October 17, 2014

Neighborly


Tolerant
neighborhoods
make a city grow.

Intolerant
neighborhoods
divide and conquer
until nothing is left.


Thursday, October 16, 2014

Open Close


Open hands.
Open minds.
Open hearts.

Closed hands.
Closed minds.
Closed hearts.

Knowing
when to open,
when to close
is the work
of wisdom.


Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Straight and Narrow


The straight and narrow
is not straight and narrow.

No journey runs straight.
No path to truth is narrow.

The long and winding way
we've already come proves this.


Tuesday, October 14, 2014

What We Don't Know


The deaths we do not understand
are the ones that scare us the most.

From contagions to random violence,
we're victims of our own ignorance.

Death isn't what terrifies us.
It's what we know we don't know.


Monday, October 13, 2014

No Power


Wealth and power
have no power
over those
who truly have
no wealth or power.

What is left
to take away?
Only the spirit,
and the spirit
is only borrowed
for a time anyway.


Sunday, October 12, 2014

Limits of Wealth


Money can't stop
a compassionate hand.

Greed can't silence
a merciful heart.

Power can't kill
a forgiving spirit.


Saturday, October 11, 2014

Eyes on the Road


Since I can't see
the end of the road
from where I am
on the road,
I'm better off
learning how
to trust that
I'll get through.

Keeping my eyes
on this moment
is how I find my way.


Friday, October 10, 2014

Three Votes


If you vote your pocket book,
you'll never get enough.

If you vote your conscience,
you'll forever be disappointed.

If you can vote your heart,
you will have already won.


Thursday, October 9, 2014

Dominion


To take dominion
over the earth and
its many creatures
means we are to be
good stewards,
not good rapists.


Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Evil and Good


Evil is the other side of good,
not the opposite of good.

But who gets to define evil?
Who gets to define good?

Evil is what takes us into fear.
Good takes us into compassion.

Beyond that, I don't know.


Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Not Required


Baptism doesn't require water.
Salvation doesn't require a savior.
Heaven doesn't require a death.

Where nothing is required,
nothing has to be earned.

Only passed along.


Monday, October 6, 2014

Cargo


I used to carry God around in a box,
but God outgrew the box,
so I carried God around in a book,
but God outgrew the book,
so I carried God around in a word,
but God outgrew the word,
so I gave up carrying God around at all.

Now God is everywhere.


Sunday, October 5, 2014

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Making Waves


Tao ripples out
from every action
like waves curling
across a pond.


Friday, October 3, 2014

Escape


If the past haunts you with pain
or the future laces you with fear,
your best escape is this moment.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Creative Mind


An open mind
is a creative mind,
full of possibility.

A closed mind is
a creative mind, too,
but an impotent one.