these are your parents––
the mirror of your light &
shadow
the voice before your
voice
the moon the way it
was
your kith & kin on the
amœba side.
these are your parents––
do not be
angry.
if you bite your lip it
bleeds.
these are your parents––
please don’t be
ashamed.
the bearers of your infant
heart.
the ticklers of your baby
tummy.
(dysfunctional??
perhaps...
but are you
really
any more wise?
or
any less
human?)
these are your parents––
do not run away
denial makes a neurotic
mother & longing
can make a world-weary
father.
if you need a foster
parent in your life––
let the court appoint
forgiveness.
the compassionate teacher
who can
open the
heart
let out the
weeping shame, the festering
rage, the bleeding
disappointment.
you’ve never been
inside your heart
but when you’ve got the
key
there’s room for mom & dad;
for sisters & brothers;
for derelicts & drunks;
bodisattvas & saints;
for all the joy & poverty of the
soul.
these are your parents––
believe it or not
they made you out of
love.