WELL

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WELL

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Here we are, on an average sized planet

Hurtling through vast inhospitable space

No idea how we got here

Or where we are going

Not a clue how we can get along peacefully

As nations or even as individuals

In all the mind-boggling universe there is only one place

Where you can find peace

That place is within you, in your heart and mind

In every situation you can prioritize your peace

Invite joy, have moments of discovery and wonder

We can wish for peace, pray for peace

Even make signs and protest in the street for peace

Yet we must find it in the only place the calm garden of peace can flourish

We grow world peace in our hearts and minds

The universe within

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THE WAR IS WON IN THE GENERAL'S TENT

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THE WAR IS WON IN THE GENERAL'S TENT

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The General who is a pessimist

Is defeated before he's begun

Yet if the General is too optimistic

He won't know when to turn and run

But if the General is a realist

He will live in the vital moment

While adjusting plans and strategies

And figuring out his opponent

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PIGEON POWER

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PIGEON POWER

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The eagle is not the only bird to define our skies

There is the cheerful robin, harbinger of spring

A crow or raven bringing news from beyond

The stately vulture taking what remains after life

After a hummingbird has carried the spirit to paradise

While a nightingale sings a song of hope and rebirth

There is such a variety of birds to choose from 

If the eagle of liberty and justice is not visible right now

Focus on the dove, the heron or the shrike

For inspiration and encouragement

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WHEN

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WHEN
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When the summer trees sway to and fro

I feel the broken edges of my heart

When music swells inside my soul

I feel the broken edges of my heart

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HOCUS FOCUS

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HOCUS FOCUS

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When a powerful witch has your back

You needn't fear harm or attack

The protection acts like a shield

Consequences are the weapons they wield

Bad actors better think twice

They better back off or be nice

Witches prefer to heal and bless

But don't put their benevolence to the test

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CONSEQUENCES

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CONSEQUENCES

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When the first shot was fired at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, at 4:30 a.m.

The slaves were freed

A war started to perpetuate and expand slavery was actually 

The death knell of that grotesque institution

Events in history are like dominoes in entangled rows

Stretching into the distant futures, over the horizon and beyond

But once the first domino topples, it hits the next one

A series of consequences set in action, beyond anyone's control

No one can say with certainty where this current chain reaction will end

What chains will be unlocked, who will be set free

But once a domino falls it can never rise again

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LOST IN TIME

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LOST IN TIME

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Dinosaurs used to roam where my dwelling now stands

The property is on the edge of an extinct lake

Which is why my soil is so sandy and my basement is dry

The dinosaurs did not know, could not know, about me

But I know about them -  tiny plant-eaters and giant meat-eaters

What unimaginable sequence of events gave me this place in time?

I wonder about the future, in 200 million years

Who or what will live here? 

There is no guarantee that humans will be here

Or anything recognizable to us

I will enjoy my moment in the sun, on the Earth

Rolling around in the mists of time like tumbling dice

Taking a chance, the only chance, to be here now.

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