When You Forgive Me

When you forgive me,
you set down the pain
that I created for you
out of my own pain. 

The pain you
no longer wish
to carry for me.

This is why forgiveness
offers more to the forgiver
than to the forgiven.

New Layer

Tao carves me,
day in and day out,
like a block of wood.

And night after night,
I grow a new layer of bark
to protect me from the blade.

No Such Law

Marriage isn't about law.
Marriage is about love.

A law against marriage
is a law against love.

A law against love
is a law against God.

No such law can stand
forever.

What I Get

Do I get what I need?
Do I get what I earn?
Do I get what I deserve?

Do I need what I get?
Do I earn what I get?
Do I deserve what I get?

The answer depends on
how I phrase the question.

Follow the Roots

A religion rooted in fear
becomes a terror to the earth.

A religion rooted in love
becomes a balm to the earth.

A religion rooted in both
becomes a nuisance to us all.

When I Pay Attention

When I pay attention,
I see what I wouldn't see.
I hear what I wouldn't hear.
I find what I wouldn't find.

Paying attention guides me
into living a complete life.

To live completely.

This is the true meaning
of perfection.

Vulnerable

My isolation makes me
vulnerable to fear.

My fear makes me
vulnerable to hate.

My hatred makes me
vulnerable to violence.

My violence makes me
vulnerable to pain.

My pain makes me
vulnerable to wisdom.

My wisdom makes me
vulnerable to Tao.

There is nothing
vulnerable in Tao.

Trust the Way

Every journey
is one of a kind.

Trust that you can
know the Way 
even when
you don't know
where you're going.

The Possible

Community makes life possible.
Forgiveness makes community possible.
Wisdom makes forgiveness possible.
Tao makes wisdom possible.

Enter Here

Beauty enters us
through our senses.

Wisdom enters us
through our experiences.

Death enters us
through our fears.

But Mostly

We're connected
by sunlight,
by moonlight,
by shadows,
by roots and trees,
by the air itself,
by anxiety,
by selfish misery,
by birth and death,
by wisdom,
by faith,
by hope,
by fear.

But mostly,
we're connected
by love.

Hatred Can't Kill Enough

Hatred can't kill
enough people
to destroy kindness.

Hatred can't kill
enough people
to stop forgiveness.

Hatred can't kill
enough people
to escape its own fear.