A Ritual to Read to Each Other

If you don't know the kind of person I am,

and I don't know the kind of person you are,

a pattern that others made may prevail in the world.

And following the wrong god home,

we may miss our star.

For there is many a small betrayal in the mind,

a shrug that lets the fragile sequence break,

sending with shouts the horrible errors

of childhood storming out to play

through the broken dyke.

I call it cruel and maybe the root of all cruelty -

to know what occurs and not recognize the fact.

An so I appeal to a voice - to something shadowy,

a remote region in all who talk: though we could

fool each other, we should consider -

least the parade of our mutual life

gets lost in the dark.

For it is important that awake people be awake or

a breaking line may discourage them back to sleep;

the signals we give - yes, no, or maybe -

should be clear; the darkness around us is deep.

(William Stafford)