L.I.P.

Live In Peace
I ain’t waiting till I rest for it.
I ain’t grinding my soul to dust,
just to taste it in some distant hush
b3yond this breath, b3yond this life.

I’m done with the lie that peace is posthumous.
I ain’t working hard and dying trying for it!
I won’t chase it like a dog after a bone
thrown by a world that profits from my unrest.
Nah. I’m standing still in it,
ten toes down, feet bare on solid ground, arms open wide.

I’m allowing it
letting it flow like morning sun through open blinds,
warming the cold corners of my spirit.

I’m receiving it
not with clenched fists but a soft chest,
like rain falling into a river
that always knew its course.

And I’m sharing it
with the stranger, the friend,
the broken, the joyful,
the tired mother in the checkout line,
the kid playing loud in the hallway,
even the one who cursed me yesterday.
Here. Now.
Everywhere, at all times,
with anyone who will meet me
in this sacred, simple presence.

I ain’t even saying “rest in peace” no more.
That’s for the tombstones.
I only say: live in it now.
That’s peace.
Not a whisper after death,
but a shout in the middle of life.
A choice. A breath. A way.
Live in peace. Now.