In these troubled times,
There are many ways to become distracted
and follow the unwholesome ways of the world.
Discomfort with new ideas can morph
into fear and dread.
Intimations of suspicion can easily be spun
into stories of conspiracy.
The spectacle of the passing show leads away
from the assurance of core values and principles, and
undermines the confidence
of sacred traditions and wise teaching.
As we defend the bulwarks of our beliefs against all threats,
. there may also be a time when we stumble.
That stumble will come as an unexpected surprise
but the consequences of stumbling
will interrupt a sense of assurance.
The confident defense against all threats
will meet one that gets through the lines and over the walls.
And confusion and helplessness will shadow the doors and windows.
In that disorientation,
where carefully crafted strategies now lead
toward ruin and destruction,
Emptiness and distress will loom over
the best laid plans of the past.
Even though clouds gather in front of the sun
and a chill wind begins to blow,
the light of hope has not gone out.
But now, the light can no longer be kindled in old lamps
depleted of fuel whose wicks are now too thin.
Let us pause now in the liminal space
between the certainty of youth, the crisis of middle age,
and the letting go of the aged;
And seek a sense of inner guidance
that can serve as our compass to show us the way
when no way seems possible.
(c) Sam Trumbore (2018)
From service: Order, Disorder, Reorder