I spent a few hours with a kindred spirit today,
and I was energized by the hope
and positive energy she spread.

A gentle soul like hers is living proof
that no matter how dark our world becomes,
there is still light and compassion.

The world is getting colder,
getting ever darker,
and becoming ever more violent.  

If each one of us reaches out to the person next to us,
and strikes up a few words of kindness and humanity,
we can bridge the gap,
and drive out the ignorance and paranoia.

To all the ships out upon frozen seas,
to the orphans who snuggle alone,
and to the families adrift upon oceans of grief,
and to those who shelter in the ruins of a toothless city,
and the ones who shift through bins for scraps of food,
and to the animals abandoned along lonely and forgotten lanes,
I say this:

The Beloved Knows...

Reach out to the light in your heart,
Warm each other with kindness,
And trust the beauty of peace.