I adore reading Dante and Petrarch,
And I could pray to God in sacramental bliss
Sitting quietly in an orchestral hall
During a Mozart symphony,
But that is not what moves my true heart
To transforming spiritual tears.
Nor am I overpowered in my soul
By nature’s scenic beauty,
Not by ancient frozen glaciers,
Nor towering snowy peaks
That ascend to heaven,
Nor by great mountain ridges
Or by immense and expansive canyons.
My being is heroically stirred instead
By the love of loyal friends,
The kindness of strangers,
By the gentle little hands of a child.
With all of this in mind,
One lifetime could never suffice
To learn to appreciate
The joy and obligation
Of being a human.
Today, I’m crawling along
The insecure path of my humanity,
But one day I’ll stand and walk.
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