Tradition Three
\nBy
\nJoseph Anthony Petro<\/p>\n
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In the space created by gathering together
\nTangled bundles of nerves loosen into usable threads of stories
\nWhose intricate plots become the fabric of hope;
\nThunderous pasts and futures soften into the holy silence of here and now;
\nKnots of shame and sorrow unravel first into heaps of relief
\nAnd then are braided by wisdom into lifelines for others to grab hold of;
\nSprings of tension and rage wind down into shock absorbers
\nFor the carriage of the heart;
\nShells of human beings break open into birds of freedom;
\nGhosts shimmer back into their bodies and bones reassemble
\nTaking on the flesh of experience and rise from the dead;
\nDissonant chords of not knowing what to do
\nResolve into melodies of mistakes and laughter;
\nThe stormy seas of self-condemnation calm into self-acceptance
\nAs we give ourselves over to the hands of another;
\nAnd no one has to step out onto the waves to prove anything
\nTo anybody, and everyone in the space created
\nStays in the boat and rows, while love dances on the water
\nGathering us together in the sun-drenched wings
\nOf mutual aid.<\/p>\n
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