This I Know

This I know

Life is nothing
but change
people you thought
would be here forever
leave or die
Great ideas
turn to ashes
Dreams remain
just that
dreams
This I know

Mystics see
what others
dare not
even imagine
Science reveals
that which
we have always
known to be
true
except when in
the hands of those
with agendas
to convince us
of their truth
This I know

Religion
beats us over
the head
with rules
and bruises
our heart
with judgement
while demanding
we set aside
what we know
to be true
This I know

Family
Friends
Lovers
demand more
than we can
ever give
asking we set
aside who we
are to meet their
ideals
This I know

The rosebud
unfolding
breathes its scent
out into our lives
while bees keep
performing the tasks
of ongoing life
The trees stand
as sentinels
to all that we have
been and can
ever be
The moon shines
her glory upon us
each one
wherever it is
that we call
home
This I know.

A kind word
changes a life
a moment of
compassion
rejects the darkness
that threatens
to swallow
a fellow traveler
Love is always
ever always
the best
response
A hungry stomach
can be filled by
a passerby
a hungry soul
satisfied
by a gesture
of grace
This I know

Together
walking to the end
of the path
we can bless
or dishonor
we can encourage
or judge
we can be all
that is needed
or nothing
that is wanted
Every day
we choose
This I know.

~Joss Burnel