The Gem

I was too young to understand or retain my parents’ tales
I just recall some fragments of these stories, not all details
they help me take all the world has to offer like a gift
In fact these stories silently give me a “spiritual lift”

Each of us carries within himself, since birth,
Seeds of goodness, love and spiritual worth
As well as those of hatred, and unkindness 
Those of sound health and those of future illness;

Those of intelligence as well as those of stupidity.
It is up to us to choose which seeds should have validity
Which ones we should develop and which ones to ignore
The results depend on our way of life and its core.

It is not always the “good” that makes us glad
And it is not always the “bad” which makes us sad.
The feelings that we sense with melancholy, with joy, and
With happiness make us discover where we really stand

Copyright 2012 Emile Tubiana