Be – A Poem By Miriam Hadcocks 2012
Be
Be who you would be
If the world were as it should be,
Be who you could be
If you had all you’d need.
For the earth’s not just your mother,
She’s your child, she’s your lover,
With enough for your beauty
But never your greed.
Sing as the world sings,
Heart open, soul listening.
Speak what you would speak
If you’d never known fear.
For the earth rings with sweet rhyme,
Truth tested before time,
And shares gladly her secrets
With all those who hear.
Stand as you would stand
If your feet were on firm land.
Dance as the free dance
Even when they’re oppressed.
For you are your own weapon
Against all those who threaten,
A sword not of vengeance
But of beauty well blessed.
Fight as you would fight
If you knew your struggle was right,
For the coming of peace
And the end of all war.
Love as you could love
As if with a power from above,
Give as you would give
If you knew less were more.
And all the things you hold most dear
Are the things that hold you close,
So free yourself from the things you love
And release those that mean the most.
Know all you could know
As from knowledge may wisdom grow.
Question all answers
And let the questions flow on.
For the truth lies in asking,
Unveiling, unmasking,
In creating and dancing
And not right or wrong.
Keep what you should keep
Of gifts rare and secrets deep.
Hold all you can hold
That will make your load light.
Let fall all that can fall
That unhindered, you stand tall,
Unencumbered by darkness,
You’ll reach to the light.
Go where the path goes
And sail where the river flows,
Fly where the wind blows
And there rest your head.
For there is no alternative
But to face life and so to live
And all other paths lead
To the road of the dead.
Take what is given you
And from the past shape what is new,
Build your own future
On the grounds of the past.
For you’re nothing, but what you choose to be,
No prisoner to destiny,
Live not in your history
But in a present that will last.
As silent blow the winds of change,
As slowly turns the wheel,
So, unnoticed, is the seed that sprouts
Till all you dared not hope is real.
Be no one’s captive,
Be not passive, be active!
Choose all or nothing,
Or choose nothing at all.
Be no one’s master,
For in such lies disaster,
For all power is delusion
And delusion will fall.
Be inspired and inspiring,
Justice desiring,
Compassionate, creative,
Tread the paths of the wise.
Seek truth when comforts fail,
When night is dark and moon is pale,
For folly is more cunning
Than the lore of those who lie.
Let your companions be many,
Rejecting not any,
Welcome with love
All who come to your door.
Let intuition show
The divide between friend and foe,
Then love them both equally
That love may grow more.
Know yourself broken,
Be a dreamer awoken,
Know yourself weak
And thus become strong.
Stand with life’s shattered,
For they know well what matters,
Shared losses become victories
When life’s battles wax long.
And as each footfall joins the dance,
Each pilgrim joins the way,
So possibility dawns to hope
As dawning turns to day.
Be who you will be –
Being you is all you can be.
Be true to your truth, thus
Be more than your parts.
Be full of you when emptied,
Be strong in you when tempted,
Be all that you need, but most,
Be who you are.