you get to choose in poetry

difference is not a chance to judge and feel superior
it is an opportunity to learn and become more humane
don’t screw it up
outrageous fortune is giving you opportunites
to grow yourself as a person
to take that conscience conscious mustard seed
to yield forth a crop of compassion
to lead to understanding
to lead to humane action
don’t screw it up

when you suffer you can either harden
to protect yourself or realize that
no one should ever suffer like that
you can choose not to hate on reflex
can see the world through their eyes
choose the latter if you can

because when hope
when even hope has been exhausted
love can rise up from the ashes
love can swoop in to take back the day
love is the closest thing
that we have to the miraculous
choose love if you can
don’t screw it up

because causality is an arrow
nocked by a blind archer
causality is a bullet loaded by a fool
it is shot by a madman
we don’t even control the time of departure
no undoing it after the fact
in the moment we can only hope to duck
so much of what happens to us
is out of our hands
is a matter of luck
but we can choose how to react
choose to oppose everyone’s suffering
we can choose to love
so don’t screw it up