I Stand on the Left
It is because I am cautious
I stand on the left.
As a child I was given a pearl
in the form of a loving God
by a community of love warriors
worn out by old religion.
As a young man I was given a gun
and told war is the answer
by men with invisible wounds
eternally lost behind enemy lines.
For many years I rebelled silently,
confused by my role in the world.
Inside I was a simmering stew
of love and frustrated patriotism.
But eventually life taught me,
there is no formula or set path.
We must all go on a journey of descent
and search for the ground of our being.
Mercifully there is still room
inside of my heart and head
for me to adapt and maneuver,
as I struggle to grow in tenderness.
Now I peer through lens of love
when I look out upon this world.
And I feel affirmed as a conservative
still standing on the left.
“I never dared to be radical when young for fear it would make me conservative when old.”
This poem was written on April 15, 2023.
©Brian Mueller - All rights reserved.
