attention

America

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“O, yes, I say it plain, America never was America to me. And yet I swear this oath-America will be!” Langston Hughes

 

My country

strives to be

a sweet Land of Liberty,

a Crown of Beauty,

from sea to shining sea-

an example

a beacon

to other countries

and peoples

to witness

the possibility

of beloved community

amidst vast diversity,

of justice

amidst adversity,

of kindness

in the midst of such plenty.

America,

this grand, young experiment

in democracy-

governance

of

for

by

We, The People.

Still struggling with its meaning,

back and forth, we go;

to and fro,

from the high

to the very low.

Another birthday,

America 

tentatively celebrates,

expressing gratitude

for what is good.

While also cultivating

a firm commitment

to manifesting

for all

that which is

honorable,

innocent,

hopeful

within the

imperfect,

complex,

uncomfortable

experiment

that gave birth to a nation

of immigrants.

 

 

Pray

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PRAY,

allow God

to show you

His Way,

His Plan,

His Hand.

There’s no need

for you to understand.

Simply surrender

to The Will

of your Creator,

The One who sees

far and wide.

What, then,

is a better guide

to how one lives and thrives

on this journey

called

Life.

Twists and turns,

scars and burns,

new lessons

constantly re-learned.

Such is the stuff

of a Life,

that crooked path of a spirit made flesh.

And so, we humbly relent,

look up, only to the sky

for consistent help.

PRAY.

Listen.

Do only what He says.

 

dabbler in many, master of none

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before making Its way down to Earth,

does the Soul know if it will embody

a master or a dabbler?

one for whom

destiny is crystal clear

while for the other,

purpose is a vague, elusive idea?

the master is crafted for a particular task;

the dabbler meanders-

no set directive or path.

is one gifted,

the other cursed?

one disciplined,

the other trifling?

no wrong,

no right;

simply the story of a Life,

the lyrics of a Soul’s unique song.

Give it Away!

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Give It away!

For It does not belong to you.

You are but the vessel It flows through.

It chooses you, coming seemingly

out of the blue

to awaken and amuse.

“Give Me away!”

It begs.

“I was not meant to remain hidden in your head,

dormant, because you are afraid.

I come from a place that is nothing but pure.

Hence, no need for you to be insecure.”

Some Where Deep Within

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Don’t-

yet-

know my true histories:

African

Haitian

American.

Thus, this iteration of Life

is a bit of a mystery

to me.

Not certain where I am going

‘cause I know not where I’ve  been.

Still,

plates are shifting

somewhere deep within,

resulting in a tsunami without.

Mighty waves

ripping at my skin-

shredding

shedding.

Left naked and raw,

drenched in the miraculous,

I am

re-created

to some other form:

a new being steeped in grace

and a deep peace

born of the confidence

in its Divine Service.

A clarity in vision

that bears a great conviction;

A fire-

this time-

on the inside

that one cannot hide,

nor its mission be denied.

“Do you know what you are? You are a manuscript of a divine letter. You are a mirror reflecting a noble face. This universe is not outside of you.  Look inside yourself; everything that you want, you are already that.”  ― Jalaluddin Rumi

Yield Your Fruit

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Yield

your

Fruit,

just give it all away-

that which you came

here

to do,

to say.

Don that suit

with only your name on it.

Bring that song

you were crafted to sing.

Return to the dust

from whence you came

emptied

-with absolutely

no thing

left within.

Go home utterly spent-

’tis the only way

to live a life content.

LIFE (scene One)

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Live

Life

Full.

Be

Here

Now.

For, one never knows

when,

how

The Plug

will be pulled.

Tomorrow,

the next breath,

never guaranteed-

from that illusion,

we must all

be freed.

Life is

precious,

precarious.

The human body,

fragile

as it is

miraculous.

Take

no thing,

no one

for granted.

Live

Life

Soft–

surrendered,

empathetic.

Cup Runneth Over

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Drenched in gratitude,

humbled by immense Grace,

overwhelmed with benevolence,

truly I tell you:

my cup runneth over!

This softened heart

is about to burst

at the Love demonstrated

by this magnificent Universe!

It just keeps coming-

these perceived blessings-

a torrential downpour.

How much more

can a Soul possibly endure?

I cannot seem to give

as much

at the pace

in which I receive!

Bon Dieu, a moment to breath,

to take it all in please,

to be still and know,

and from there

to make the noise

of unadulterated joy!

My cup runneth over,

vision shifts:

there is no mere

coincidence.

No accident

is this largesse.

To whom much is given,

where Life has been very kind

even more is arisen

within that human mind:

how best to demonstrate gratitude?

how to cultivate the fortitude

to sustain faith

when the same cup

is filled only

with empty space?

 

Fated

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it comes relatively easily,

that which is fated.

the steps run smoothly

as if actions in an incredulous movie!

one feels as if riding a powerful wave

toward that thing God long ago named;

this place He slated

for you alone,

to grow, to blossom, to come into your own.

“this is your path, walk in it,” He declares.

“trust me. do not let your heart be troubled nor scared.”

not all in this life need be a struggle,

an interminable inner fight

to discern where one belongs,

which way is right.

indeed, sometimes a boulder is thrown –

the Universe knowing better

than to reach you with a mere quiet stone.

Urgent, desperate prayers come up constantly to the sky:

“help me!” they all cry.

God cannot do for us

what He cannot do through us.

that we are each other’s keeper –

a remembrance that is sacred, an absolute must.

The call for help

is responded to

by an ever-evolving self

that consciously

with a sense of deep conviction

and moral responsibility

relays relentlessly:

“here I am, Lord, please use me.”

This surrender,

ego placed out of the way,

then renders

the necessary space

for one’s fate

to perfectly navigate.

 

 

 

 

What will my role be in The Revolution?

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What role will I play in The Revolution?

What will my Lord require of me to help bend that long arc of the moral Universe always toward justice?

How will I be asked to repay the debts to those who came before, who took the hits and falls so that I might on their broad, brave shoulders stand – in the moment – free and tall?

To whom much is given, much is required. A government truly for the good of all the people and run by all the people comes at a high cost – the cost of caring, of voting, of marching – of being ever diligent and vigilant, opposing with steadfast love the misguided forces that would hate from the place of fear and darkness cutting through all our human hearts.

What role will we the people play in The Revolution now that the pendulum has swung back, seemingly all the way to the other side and another time – the response to the call for higher love and broader inclusion; the response to the call for pluralism and government visually reflective of its many peoples?

When did we forget our basic tenet that we the people are One – E pluribus Unum? Either we stand together – united, or become completely undone – indeed, extinct – by the misperception that we are not one and must only lookout for number one.

There is no middle moral ground; we can no longer simply stand around, desperately seeking a savior to come down and bear the heat for our collective neglect and defeats.

No, the answers are not out there – never were. The heroes lie on the inside and have thousands of faces. Be still and know that we each have a specific role to play, some piece of the work to claim, an assignment bearing only our name.

May we the people with courage and deep conviction, accept our respective tasks to ensure our beautiful American Experiment lasts, and the freedom for which it always strives remains vibrant and forever alive.