I'll Love My Neighbor

I’ll Love My Neighbor, My Community, and My World

When I was a child I felt secure in my mother’s arms,

I didn’t worry whether she would keep me from harm,

My world was limited because my vision was small,

But my understanding of relationships grew tall,

My nights were filled with moonlight and dreams,

Dreams of people who were part of a living stream,

Thus I began my quest to learn who they were,

And find where I would fit within this endless blur,

The search to belong became my secret song,

I wanted real relationships with the bonds strong,

Real questions that had meaning I wanted to ask,

To know my neighbors, was that too big of a task?

I wanted to exchange truth, not cause anyone strife,

Not to tell me they’re okay, then take their own life,

I wanted a community that found common ground,

Where people of all kinds were happy to be found,

My house would be open to all who passed through,

Not just for old friends, but even the new,

Failures of yesterday would become foundations for today,

Each mistake used to motivate to find a better way,

Relationships building up each other, with mercy and respect,

The rewards would keep returning, more than I expect,

I love my neighbors, my community, and my world too,

I would like to start somewhere, so what can I do?

No one was meant to be alone, whatever may befall,

You’re invited to my house, whether you’re different or not at all,

I’ll do what I can to share my life and maybe so will you,

We’ll build bridges across our differences and see what will ensue,

For all the world to see, our friendship would be on display,

If it’s all the same to you, there’s no reason to delay,

I’ll care for my neighbor like myself, compassionate and loving too,

I’ll seek good whenever I can, and that’s all I’ll ask of you.

Small Simple Things With Love

Small Simple Things With Love (One Poet’s Legacy)

Because I am a poet,

I am wiser than I think,

I see the world with clarity,

Able to mix fantasy with reality,

Discovering beauty wherever I look,

Or find ugliness and mayhem out my door,

I can’t ignore the world and waste my life,

I try to create order out of chaos,

And do small simple things with love,

Because I am aware of life and death,

And within the parameters of my time,

I am working on my legacy,

For a poet leaves more than leaves of grass,

For life’s deepest meaning is in relationships,

For all the experience I learned,

Loves once had, so foolish spent,

Were ground powder fine as the world turned,

But my world is much bigger than loves lost,

My fingerprints have left indelible marks,

Doing a thousand small simple things with love,

Comforting those left standing alone,

Who shed great tears of pain,

Encouraging those who lacked hope,

Lifting their spirits from the depths,

Urging those who needed words of action,

Doing something that would make someone’s life better,

Small simple things with love,

My footprints also linger on,

For I’ve walked carefully throughout life,

Stepping forward in truth and purpose,

Walking tall and unafraid to face the world,

Leaving footprints, I’m sure,

Yet unseen by me if I turn and look,

So I go trudging on,

My words heartfelt and true,

Knowing that my words are powerful,

Solving problems, gathering information,

Abstract thinking, concrete thinking,

Words that have the power of life and death,

Should be words of love and peace,

Kind words, affirming words, a chance to show mercy,

I am a poet and I share my essence,

My heart is open and in my dreams,

I leap barriers that block love’s capricious whim,

I do not want to keep love’s fire without,

It has to burn within,

I am vulnerable to the world,

And my dreams are of love and peace,

Each footprint, each fingerprint, that I leave,

Will be small simple things with love,

For I am a poet.