Creativity, difficult times, Encouragement, Faith, Frank de Acosta, Inspiration, poetry

How Love Trumps Hate – A Poem and Photograph

glass flask, alchemy, chemistry
Glass flask, photo by Marissa Anderson, flickr.com

 

Alchemy is an ancient practice shrouded in mystery. Its practitioners sought to turn lead into gold through a purification process involving heat.

The word “transformation” is a synonym for alchemy. So is “magic” and “power,” both which can describe love.

Love, an emotion, is also a quality we all need more of during these difficult times in our society.

This poem demonstrates the power of love, which trumps hate.

 

Alchemy of Love (Love trumps Hate)

Never lose grace in faith
Believing there is beauty
To be found in everyone
All of us at one time
Have walked in brokenness
Through the dark corridors
Of our hearts and minds
An empathetic kindness
Compassion without condition
Received from another
Can be the spark that turns
A lost, dark, wounded soul
Towards the healing of light
Mending frayed, fragile lives
Prayers reaching to embrace
The stranger as relation
Engenders the true power of love
I say this with humble gratitude
Knowing I have received love
Undeserved; given love, unrequited
We are called to walk a sacred manner
Believing there is alchemy in love

Reflection by: Frank de Jesus Acosta

This photo made the rounds on Facebook. Eric Gaines, a police officer at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, was standing at a bus stop on March 1 when a teenage boy stopped to pray over a homeless man. The officer snapped this photo.

Eighteen-year-old Stephen Watkins said he was on a bus home from school when a song he was listening to inspired him to get off at an earlier stop in order to bless a complete stranger.

“I prayed for him. I said, ‘God right now you’re using me to bless this man,’” Watkins told WJZ-TV. “Thank you for showing me this song.”

teenager, young man, praying, homeless man
Teenager Praying for a Homeless Man; photo from Facebook.

Life can be difficult, sometimes devoid of sense verging on hopelessness. Let’s chose compassion and love to make life a little better in our tiny part of the world. Maybe, just maybe, that gesture will travel and touch someone’s life like this poem and photograph did for me. Keep the faith.

Family, poetry, Wisdom

Song of Serenity

 

Song to Serenity-gettyimages.com
Song to Serenity-gettyimages.com

 

Poetry gives me an opportunity to enmesh myself into someone’s thoughts on paper.

 

That’s how I feel about my favorite poets like Frank de Jesus Acosta. Each morning he shares a poem with his Facebook friends.

This poem, in particular, spoke to me as I read it this morning.

I thought of family, gratitude, and intention.

 

With Frank’s permission, I share his poem with you.

 

Song of Serenity

 

May the Creator fill your day with tasks of love and honor

as you walk a sacred path.

Close your eyes and listen to the wind for the song of serenity that has eluded you.

Turn your face towards the sun and feel the warm embrace of your ancestors

and all those touched by your love.

Remove your shoes with skin to soil that you may feel the heartbeat of the earth mother who cares for all her children

even as she bleeds.

Let your spirit return seven generations for truth

that it may travel seven generation forward in higher purpose.

This is my prayer for all of you today and poem for the children always…

En Lak’ech Hala Ken.*

by Frank deJesus Acosta

 

In Lak’ech Ala K’in are the Mayan words for

“I am your other self,” or “I am you and you are me.”

In Spanish, it’s

“Tu eres mi otra yo,” or “I am your other self.”

The Lakota say

“Mitakuye Oyasin,” or “All are related.”

 

Whichever sacred greeting you prefer, may your weekend be blessed, filled with opportunity, and peace.