Fear
Evokes Anger
And Retreat
And Despair 

It is too much in my face
It is too much in the voices
That call to me to join them
In the chaos 

It wants to steal my soul

And yet

And yet

There is still beauty in the sunrise

Even yet the giggle of a child
Can break my heart

My lover’s gaze can feed my soul

I will not give them all of me
Those voices of chaos and fear
Those calls to join the fray
That try to evoke both fear and guilt
To steal my life 
One distraction at a time

This moment
I will pause
And breathe
And give thanks
For there is much to be thankful for

The very idea 
That what I value 
Is at risk 
Confirms that I value something.

For just a moment I will turn my eyes
To see the preciousness of life
And deny the chaos 
That would rip it from me
With the grip of the very fear
That claims I must protect it. 

Fear will not help.
Anger will not keep it at bay.
To retreat is to leave the joy behind, as well. 
Despair is capitulation to the foe. 

But joy
And beauty
Are waiting
If I will but shift my gaze

The source of hope
Is a move from fear
To gratitude

photo by Pascal Gaudette retrieved from Flickr per CC BY-NC-SA 2.0