Thursday, January 26, 2012

Aging and Engaging

I've read that the brain's limbic system makes us aware of the emotions of others.
Is this the beginning of compassionate relationships with our sisters and brothers?
Unfortunately, our society has taught us to turn off the signals of others' pain;
We have been programmed to only seek our own earthly, greedy gains.

I admit that I am too sensitive to the atmosphere that surrounds me;
The degree to which I need emotional input of others often astounds me.
Call it PTSD, enmeshment, or extreme compassionate caring;
I pick up on signals people don't even know they're sharing.

All I know for sure is that I absorb many energies of those
Who don't even know that, in my radar, they are exposed.
I don't mean to intrude on their most private spaces;
It's simply that my intuition, their boundaries, replaces.

I love to have people that are hard-working near;
My animal intuition, for their dedication, cheers.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of many laboring men
Outside my window, into which my soul can blend.

The hardest thing to handle as I age and become less able
Is the feeling that I've been excused from life's bountiful table.
At least I can vicariously feel a part of what is still alive,
When  I'm allowed to observe the tasks on which others thrive.