CHERISHING THE SELF

The last thing to attend to

in this busy, commodity world

when there’s children, mortgages,

bills to pay, cars to keep running

not to mention all the shopping galore.

The timetables to keep, dog to walk,

 tele and social media to keep up with, charities to support,

endless garden and domestic chores:

 until dropping dead from loss of soul -

rest, peace, silence, inspiration.

Love thyself, the sages said.

Why, I don’t even like myself, 

nor have time for whateveritis,

what with the people I care about, 

work for, volunteer and pay taxes to:

run off my feet for duties sake -

isn’t that my primary purpose? Necessity.

Whaddoyoumean, love?

Something soft and ineffable inside: listening is it’s language - feeling:

harkening with tenderness.

It doesn’t take sides, have sides,

opinions, goals or preference -

but simply knows;

translucent, autochthonous, fearless - the empyrean measure

 and  amplitude of truly-loving.