Take The Risk

We love to dance,

As if hearing the music for the first time.

Sometimes we’re free, finding space

Unburdened, across the border into ourselves.

But sometimes the melody stems from fear,

Fear that we’ve said too much, coupled

With regret that we said too little.

We flutter and flit, wanton insects,

seeking purchase and reward:

Glancing ahead and behind,

Making sure we don’t offend,

While hinting at truths with

Casual innuendo.

And that’s kind of sad.

We ache when someone

Treats us poorly, or that we

Believe treated us poorly;

We say nothing in a manner

That endorses the behavior

That bothered us so.

We let it go, afraid to ruffle feathers,

Afraid that we will lose something

That we don’t deserve; that we

Are not worthy of thoughtful,

Consistent consideration.

Instead, we flutter and flit, acting

Like an adult, when in fact

There are no adults, just bigger children.

Yeah, we’re all his children. Or her children.
Somebody’s children, at any rate.

We all got to smile, and we’re all gonna cry.

All of us, every single one of us, needs to belong,

To be accepted, to be held in high regard, that 

We matter. And to some people, we matter so much

That there’s no beginning or end … it is simply

A universe of matter.

And yet we flutter and flit,

Seeking the ripest fruit,

With one eye on yesterday, and 

The other on next week.

We try to accept that most people take,

And fail to give. We try to make that “all right”

By darting about to a tune 

That lacks merit.

Might I suggest stop

Dancing to this music?

Take the risk that the truth

You tell won’t crash the plane.

You might just fly higher.