The Invitation

It does not interest me what you do for a living.

I want to know what you ache for

and if you dare to dream of

meeting your hearts longing.

It does not interest me how old you are,

I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,

for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

It does not interest me what

planets are squaring your moon,

I want to know if you have been

touched by the center of your sorrow,

if you have been opened by life's betrayals

or have become shriveled and

closed from the fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own,

without moving to hide or fade it or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own;

if you can dance with wildness

and let the ecstasy fill you to the

tips of your fingers and toes

without cautioning us to be careful… to be realistic….

or to remember the limitations of being human.

I want to know if you can disappoint

another to be true to yourself.

I want to know if you can be faithful

and therefore be trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see the beauty within

even when it's not pretty everyday,

and if you can source your life from ITS presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine,

and still stand on the edge of the lake

and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes!"

It does not interest me to know where you live

or how much money you have.

I want to know if you can get up

after the night of grief and despair,

weary and bruised to the bone,

and do what needs to be done for the children.

I want to know if you will stand

in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It does not interest me where or what

or with who you have studied.

I want to know what sustains you from

the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself

and if you truly like the company

you keep in the empty moments.

                        ~Orian Mountain Dreamer