Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z
Words For A Better World awash in attempts to help cool our fevered world we Begin simply with words We savor syllables Consider history and meaning We forge ahead with Determination trying to do what’s right though Each step is filled with uncertainty For what is more powerful more dangerous than words What Gathers us divides us like these letters and how we arrange them How can we use words to improve ourselves and inspire Mindfulness In the hearts of others without perpetuating fears misunderstandings Just try a small voice whispers So we listen and share We ponder Karma and Courage Tenacity and Hope We unspool our Lives remembering triumphs and failures We write Making poems that celebrate Acceptance Freedom Respect building each Necessary step to show more Compassion and Gratitude Our stories put a spotlight on making friends and losing them About Past mistakes and what we’re learning In this never-ending Quest to change the world we challenge ourselves with new forms Roundel cherita limerick shadorma We abandon our complacency Search within ourselves for how to be changemakers not Thinking we have all the answers Now we listen to opposing views with an Open spirit Understanding takes time We must be patient as our new Vocabulary takes root trusting that change will one day bloom We’re unsure yet willing to bring our authentic selves to you not some Xeroxed copy of who we wish to be This is our moment Please join us You can start with any word you choose Read with Empathy and Zest Zoom into each new moment ready to bring your best self to the world Abecedarian each line or stanza begins with the first letter of the alphabet and continues with letters in successive order 7
ACCEPTANCE I am a word with teeth a crocodile sunning on a muddy bank Some fear me others misunderstand me and the way I’d like them to be I rest in what is belly bulging drowsy still Yet I do not flounder as you do in that unhappy swamp between the way things are as a plover picks bits of meat from my mouth 8 Persona written in the voice of the subject of the poem
Do we dare be ourselves That is the question that counts Pablo Casals IRENE SAYS For many years I thought acceptance was some sort of giving in a weakness I’ve believed strongly in my own power to change things to create the life I want But what about the things I can’t change Acceptance is actually coming to peace with those things which takes tremendous courage I can’t change other people I can only change me And instead of beating myself up for not being more social more outspoken more forgiving more whatever the best thing I can do is accept myself right where I am at this very moment Because like that drowsy crocodile where I am and where you are is exactly where you need to be TrY It Today give yourself and those around you a break Allow everyone to be where they are Come back to this book tomorrow and the next day and the next See what happens 9
