Can you keep a secret?
Or do you also find
That maybe Franklin had it right?
If so, then never mind.
 
Can you keep on smiling
When you’re feeling pain?
Do you fall apart when things
Go against the grain?
 
Can you say, “I’m sorry”?
Has it happened yet
That you’ve said—and please be honest—
Things that you regret?
 
Can you show your thanks
And resist the inclination
To take so much for granted and not
Feel appreciation?
 
Can you look within
And watch your busy thoughts,
Letting the calm embrace you while
You connect the dots?
 
Can you walk for miles
In someone else’s shoes?
If you’ve done it, was it truly
Felt or just a ruse?
 
Can you grasp the wisdom
That the messages impart—
Stirrings of the true self’s longings
Buried in your heart?

- by Bob B