Poetry

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As you listen to the jingle jangle of your coins
It is unlikely
You will be inclined to perceive
That your personal gain
Was not attained
By any power in your own hands

If anyone believes
Their prosperity came
Purely by their own power
Or ambitions
They deceive themselves
Do you meditate on blame?
We are all products of the opportunities
Presented to us
During our lives

I hate to be the one to say it
But do you not perceive
That you are not better than someone else
We all get what we have
According to that which has been made available
Or offered to us
During our lives
To dare to dream
To live in hope
To strive to achieve

We are all susceptible
To all the same choices
Given the same situations
Or same set of circumstances
Do you think you would not choose
Just as the homeless do
If that were your lot in life?
Do you think it would be an easy change to make
If you had been riddled with the same
Degree of pain?

If you don't take your nose off that high ceiling
You will only need to hire someone
To scrub away the nose prints
What would you do
If it happened to you
Hardship, bad health, and inability
Due to where you came from?
We are really all the same

When we arrive
We all arrive in the exact same way
While we live
Our perspective is shaped
According to what we've seen or heard
Or what we have been taught
Or what we've been through
What we believe
Can only come from each personal path
Or way to survive
And when we leave
Our leaving takes the same form

One is not different from the other
It is all about thinking
And transforming our thoughts into choices
Hopefully our choices can eventually amount to good change
Or making a difference in some way
It is good to end the journey
Without selfish ambition
And while we stay
Feeling like you have done something right
Advantaging others
Instilling hope
Helping to build dreams

As you listen to the jingle jangle of your coins
Think hard about what you can do
What they can do
Where they can be placed
To do the most good
Where no one will find fault
As the time will come
When you will face
The end result

Ruth Irene (Bearchell) Dato
May 22, 2010

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