still the same

I mix in vastly different circles

where voices often echo the same sentiment

the lament that days gone by were better than the ones at hand

they blame ‘the others’

I don’t believe today is any different than yesterday

or humanity has changed a whit

our problems may be defined in different terms

the voices that speak to me

embrace our common humanity

solving problems with an eye to everyone and not to tribe or agenda

we are still the same even if we bear a different name

 

Outside

It’s that time of year I hate being inside

there are answers to all my questions in the dappled sunlight splintering through the trees

all the peace in the world echoes off the canyon walls

contentment in the valleys laid with dewy grass and crowned with wildflowers

 

compassion

I sit in the sadness

I feel the grief

I’m not afraid of the solemn stone

that weighs on my heart

there is no compartmentalism

I mourn for him and for her

for the life leaving today

for the tiny soul flying away

for the mother saying goodbye to her son

for the nurse that I am

that must be stoic and strong

and though I grieve

my hands are busy

my demeanor calm

it is true that compassion

can also be strong

to help and to heal and to guide

down this last journey he takes

until heaven he finds