My ego is not an animal
that needs feeding; the place
you can touch is my heart,
but please go gently
with due respect;
You need only possess
a genuine concern for the
inner person, fragile being
not unlike yourself,
fellow traveler through
this short burst in eternity;
You may keep your agendas,
image or projections; I am
overly weary of users
and artifice, have no need
for hungry ghosts
whose desires appear
bottomless;
I do not wish to increase
the volume of some larger
than life figure you wish
to impose on a world already
overfull with blowhards,
attention-seekers,
spotlight needers;
The circle is small
and can get smaller
without my determining
it so. There is work
to be done in loving.
If you deny your own
quaking heart, perhaps
this deserves attention.
There are many desirous
of the simplest gestures
of kindness;
Find these ones, seek
them everywhere you go.
Then perhaps we will have
much to mull over
when next we meet.



~ all photos © Bela Johnson