I Want To Know Who You Are

I want to know who you are?
This is a re-post from July, Some have requested to have it re-posted. I wrote this poem, enjoy!

I was honored to attend a dialogue on my friends new new book entitled a A NEW WAY TO BE HUMAN. It was in Los Angeles with Robert Taylor and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. When Robert and Tutu first met, the Archbishop asked him, “Robert tell me who you are, not what you do?” That inspired me to write this poem and so here it is.

I want to know who you are?

By David Matthew Brown

I want to know who you are?

I want to know when all have left you-

When all is against you

When you are down,

Feeling no hope-

I want to know who you are?

I want to know when all is going good

Or bad if you can be the same person

I want to know what you yearn for

What you celebrate-

What pushes you to love past what you know-

When there is no one to do it-

No one next to you to inspire you-

I want to know who you are?

I don’t want to know what you have done

I don’t want to know what you do

I want to know who you are?
When you are upset with God-

Do you yell and scream at God?

Do you rip your heart open to tell your partner how much you appreciate them?

When you feel alone, lonely or shamed-

I want to know who you are?

I want to know if you are willing to throw the past away and start over-

Can you do that?

I want to know if you can forgive yourself and me and just say YES YES YES

Without doubt, confusion, and trust God knows what it is doing-

Can you love your fellow men and women when they are kicking you?

Can you love yourself when others won’t?

I want to know who you are?

Do you need to be discovered, be extraordinary, or

Are you happy to be ordinary?

Can you celebrate your friend’s success like it is your own?

Can you stand in fear and know the truth?

Can you try something new?

Can you stay committed even when you feel hurt?

Can you know that hurt can be healed?

I want to know who you are?

Who are you?

Do you collaborate with God in love and loving others everyday?

Even when you don’t know why?

Can you see how blessed you are?

I want to know your bigger YOU-

When you tell me someone cheated on you, or cheated, or lied-

I want to know if you can forgive them, not for them but for you-

That is strength, real strength

And for them, even you don’t understand why-

I want to know the you that only loves and values yourself-

I want you to respect and value you

Not because of the work you do, not because some fool is attracted to you an wants what it can’t have-

But because you value you- you value others

Because you have seen your story and empathize with it-

That you can empathize with others-

I want you to discover who you are-

Not because I want it, but because

You have no idea how big you really are-

Can you throw everything that you thought you knew away?

Can you see your partner with fresh eyes, and shower them with appreciation and value and respect, because dammit they are doing it for you?

I want to know who you really are?

Do you know God loves everyone?

Do you know this God has no idea of who you aren’t?

It is with you now and forever-

Do you know that you are a child of this God?

Do you know we are family?

I do. I do.

And I love you because you are loved-

And I can only love what God loves.

So tell me who are you?

What burns in your heart to express this?

Express it my love, express it-

Because this time I am not moving-

I am going to stand in this fear and trust in love-

Real love-

And I am going to trust that god loves you and me and us and we

Can you take all the crap that you have been through with others and stop projecting it on me and trust that this is real?

I want to know who you are, not what you do-

So who are you?

I am listening…

Sweet angel…