INSTRUCTIONS
You can live by lies:
Laws you did not choose for yourself,
Follow leaders up ladders to the attic,
Busy yourself with memories of simpler days-
Or forget the past, look forward to some
Bright future when you can -
Live by the light of a hand me down truth;
Dismiss uncertainty to your basement;
Worship comfort, pleasure, pain, sorrow-
Suck at every breast that bares itself;
And, Or-
Take the down-turn:
Understanding from standing under-
Below bellies of crawling creatures;
In dark caves, mine for gold that was
Left by ancients only to find it rusting-
Until your soul cries out for rest-
Spend your nites weeping - all of your tears
Til your eyes bleed from the middle
And in your emptiness- find rest.
But then You must returnTo your basement, pick up your uncertainty,
Go to your attic, burn all your souvenirs-
And trusting whatever you will,
Find your way to the forest where
The beasts will all know you,
And God will call you by your realAnd then, who knows?
---Matthew Fox
