23. ZEN

Our lives are mosaics of emotion.
Together, we spin worry and joy.
The implanted anxieties seek survival;
the past, revival; growing up more difficult.

Every day, new. Discovery is unfamiliar.
Not so boxed, we face at every moment
an infinity of choices. Reject all, and
there remains no guide firm in anything.

Freedom is a harried cross.
Self-imposed. And then the anxiety,
trying not to feel self-pity.
Overloaded. No circuit room left for pity.

Reality is a harsh morning light.
Ago, morning light was harsh reality.
In freedom, also, sharp reversals.
The beat remains steady. We?

—Avoid unnecessary concern for self.