The Clearing

There have been times
When I have spoken out of turn,
When I have interrupted,
When I have spoken defensively,
When I have spoken with negative intent.

There have been days
When, for no apparently direct reason
I have felt angry toward everyone and everything,
And with my words I have caused hurt to others
Whom I love, and sometimes to people I do not know.

At those times, retrospect has shown me
That my actions were based on feelings of loss or fear
That is unrelated to the person at whom I vent
Or the thing against which I rail;
I have substituted one pain for another
In an attempt to make the real hurt less painful.

It is an allowed thing for me to decide that
Such behavior is an ineffective choice, and that
To feel the real hurt
Is a shorter path through the forest to the clearing
Where serenity lives.

HM – 3/28/04 ©