If I ever forget what it means to be brave
All I have to do is one of these 6 things.
This is a letter to my future self so I don't forget
And you, whosoever finds this are also a witness
Firstly I should put on any record by Beth Hart
There is no one I've ever heard in all my many years
Listening to words and music who captures
With so much grace-humanity courage's full range
Secondly I should take a walk around my own block
Look into the eyes of strangers' tsuris-laden faces
Whatever collective life challenges what strikes most
Is the strength required just to keep city ghosts at bay
Thirdly I should read a biography of anybody I admire
I've never encountered any story of success without
Ample evidence that future's hope sprang full-force
From the darkest, deepest, irrefutable obstacle course
Fourth I should meditate on what it must be like
To be a chemical addict of any kind, and to choose
With whole heart, to commit to recovery knowing
Relapse is a distinct possibility but embracing hope
Fifth I should remember the ancestors
Crossing deep waters not looking back
Leaving everything irrevocably behind for a new
Kind of frightening, boldly believing in the ephemeral
Lastly I should picture your face's soft resilience
Weathered and rich with experience's grace
But youthful as any teenager's free dance
Roller disco laugh-lines lancing back illness' enmity
