January 30, 2021
Taking a break from the relentless strife,
I take stock of the world, and of my life
And pause to listen to my soul’s melody.
I pay attention to the notes within,
Searching for meaning, but to my chagrin
Sadly, find only provisional clemency
For I have guilt, I cannot deny,
I have done wrong, an eye for an eye,
And I can only fall asleep at the foot of the bed.
And though I try to practice gratitude,
I often get so lost in my own attitude,
That at night, I don’t deserve a pillow for my head.
And all the while, trying to do what is right,
Bottling rage, trying meek, not might,
Trying to be good and not the transgressor.
I find myself faltering, here and there,
A misstep, an anger, forgetting to care,
I don’t know how long I can keep it together.
So I listen to my soul, I listen every day,
I listen to the notes, to hear what they say,
And I try to discern any final hidden meaning.
And my soul, though battered and bruised,
Plays this song, one that I cannot refuse,
If I listen close enough, I can hear it dreaming:
“If believing you are good is just a conception,
Then thinking you are good is a simple deception,
And deluded righteousness can only take one so far.
You are a better person, and inside you know it,
If you do good each day, and in life you show it,
You’ll understand your actions make you who you are.”