-- Ode to Accepting Things --

by John Herlihy

In efforts involved in accepting things,

We must realize how to pay the price.

What we desire often the opposite brings,

As in walking carefully across thin ice.

In accepting the offering of darkness,

We must endure the yearning.

In accepting the offering of fire,

We must endure the burning.

In accepting the offering of the mountain,

We must endure its strength and rigidity.

In accepting the offering of the river,

We must preserve is purity and fluidity.

In accepting the loss of forgetting,

We must value the benefit of remembering.

In accepting the pain of loved ones missing,

We must value loved ones when present.

In accepting the blessing of patience,

We must learn the art of waiting.

In accepting the challenge of having courage,

We must have a sense of knowing the coward.

In accepting the baton of least resistance,

We must know our goals and solve our problems.

In accepting the determination of persistence,

We must combine consistency with resilience.

In accepting the guilty feelings of remorse,

We must accept responsibility for our actions.

If we wish to understand things from their source,

We must come to terms with our motivations.

In accepting whatever has happening in the past,

We must remember the river of life never flows backwards.

In accepting what will happen in the future,

We must remember the river of life flows onwards.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Saturday 3 August 2024