This Above All

Walk easy on the earth
              Without disturbing the sand.
Let others observe your footprints,
              But like the night and day leave no trace.
Let your shadow move where it will,
               Its magnitude decided by the sun.

Do not love easily but well,
               Linked in spirit and flesh.
Let your love be warm and generous,
               And like the sun do not measure your gift.
Let your friendship be enduring and loyal,
               Even as the mountains are not displaced.

Let no one judge you
               Beyond what you actually do.
Thus you will not be judged
               By anyone harsher than yourself.
To judge another is to become blind
               And delay your own passage.

Do not disturb the waters
               Or race futilely against the wind.
The sun will rise every day
               And the moon will follow its course.
There is a rhythm for you
               As smooth and unmistaken as the tide.

Do not try relentlessly to understand.
               Time itself will decide.
There will be stars enough
               When clouds and neon lights do not hide them.
Do not be sad. It has been written for you:
                Your joy will come when it is time.

But this above all: Walk easy on the earth!
         James Kavanaugh
         Walk Easy on the Earth, E. P. Dutton, New York, 1979