Softer, Kinder, Opened Wide

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” – Lao Tzu

“Arrives, year after year, humble and obedient
And gorgeous. You listen and you know
You could live a better life than you do, be
Softer, kinder. And maybe this year you will
Be able to do it. Hear how his voice
Rises and falls. There is no way to be
Sufficiently grateful for the gifts we are
Given, no way to speak the Lord’s name
Often enough, though we do try, and

Especially now, as that dappled breast
Breathes in the pines and heaven’s
Windows in the north country,
Now spring has come,
Are opened wide.” – Mary Oliver, Spring

Porous, durable, bendable.
Softer, kinder.
Yielding and rooted.
Open to receive.
Pour back out again.
Water smoothing the rock.
Spring unfolding before you.
Within you.

“If a branch is too rigid, it will break. Resist, and you will perish. Know how to yield, and you will survive.”― Liezi, Lieh-tzu: A Taoist Guide to Practical Living