An Open Hand

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During periods of constriction and insecurity, we can become so fearful of difference and so in need of preserving our fragile hold on things that we can fall under the spell of our own glare and retreat into a form of personal fundamentalism. This poem speaks to our need to break free.

An Open Hand

The mind is not a storeroom

with mirrors where we retreat

to convince ourselves

that we exist.

The mind is a livingroom with

windows and more than one chair,

so friends can come and look out

and discuss what they see.

Not a fortress where we frisk and

strip others of what they believe

in order to share our secrets.

More a porch with birdfeeders

and coffee or tea where before

hello, you have to share a story.

Pull the curtains! Open the

windows! Brew the coffee!

Put out a sign: Other Views

Wanted!

A Question to Walk With: In conversation with a friend or loved one, share a position that you are clinging to right now and seek other views, avoiding argument or debate. Simply water the ground of the situation with the water of each other’s care and see what happens.