The Facts of Life

The Facts of Life
That you were born
and you will die.

That you will sometimes love enough
and sometimes not.

That you will lie
if only to yourself.

That you will get tired.

That you will learn most from the situations
you did not choose.

That there will be some things that move you
more than you can say.

That you will live
that you must be loved.

That you will avoid questions most urgently in need of
your attention.

That you began as the fusion of a sperm and an egg
of two people who once were strangers
and may well still be.

That life isn’t fair.
That life is sometimes good
and sometimes better than good.

That life is often not so good.

That life is real
and if you can survive it, well,
survive it well
with love
and art
and meaning given
where meaning’s scarce.

That you will learn to live with regret.
That you will learn to live with respect.

That the structures that constrict you
may not be permanently constraining.

That you will probably be okay.

That you must accept change
before you die
but you will die anyway.

So you might as well live
and you might as well love.
You might as well love.
You might as well love. Padraig O Tuama

I share this poem with you and deliberately offer no introduction nor explanation. Please savor the words, the way you would your favorite meal. Read it again, the way you would take seconds of that marvelous summer dessert. Go back a third time, and savor those tastes, those words, all over again.

Please forgive the interruption in my attempt to post a weekly blog. Over the next few months my postings will be irregular or somewhat sporadic due to travels. I thank you for taking the time to read these poems and to join me in prayer. I look forward to the next poem, whenever, wherever!

Prayer:
Holy God,
for this precious gift of life
I give thanks.
At times though,
living, breathing, loving,
demands almost more of me than I have.
Thank you, O Holy God,
for the grace to embrace others.
Thank you, O Holy God,
for the mercy that I can extend mercy to others.
Thank you, O Holy God,
for the hope that in You I too can be hopeful.
Holy God,
might your Grace, Mercy, Hope,
be the facts of life, for me and for
this troubled world. Amen.