The Hamlet Project

It can be dangerous. It can be
A breeding ground for resentment or regret.
But, too, it can grow a hardy crop of love and interdependence.
When a friend is thirsty
You will not deny him a glass of water
If you have one handy.
If he’s hungry
You bring him a bowl of that stew you have
Cooking on the stove. And he will do the same.
I have hesitated to take kindness –
Afraid of losing the friend in the transaction
But sometimes accepting help
Means becoming vulnerable to someone
And giving it can mean
Surrendering control.
Money being not so different from love
In that giving it is a real gift.
But I realize here that my mistake
Is in the mixing up of a loan and a gift.
I suppose because I see a loan as a gift too in
The present moment.
When I give one, I give to the now
When I receive one
I am saved
For the moment
Saved by someone who loves and trusts me
From the moment I’m in
To the moment when things will be better.