It starts inside
the end of violence in the world
the end of anger.
I find myself in my fear.
I recognize it, take hold of it
slowly make it release its tight hold
on my past, my now, my coming to be,
even if it takes a lifetime.
Slowly, freedom of the unclenched heart comes,
without flag, country, anthem, or drumbeat.
Waking in the morning
determined to peel away, forcibly at times,
the clutching grasp of fear;
say goodbye to it, daily,
and, on death’s bed, forever.

January 2, 2016 – Portland, Oregon

Photo taken of an exterior wall in NE Portland. Seemed like a good New Year’s resolution. From the poet and Islamic mystic, Rumi.