First, you must stop.
Stop what?
Stop most everything
Everything but Love
And even somethings you thing are love, but are, in fact,
Something else.

Getting to step one
Has only taken you
Twelve billion years, give or take
And so, I congratulate you–
You are finally ready
And all of Heaven rejoices.

Stopping is hard at first –
It helps to begin with noticing.
Where am I less than loving?
In my thoughts,
In my words,
In my deeds,
To myself,
To others,
To everything?
If you like, start noticing it
In other people.
Don’t get too carried away, though.
For every single thing you notice
In someone else
Also resides in you.
Judge not,
Lest you be judged.

And then, when you’re good and ready,
Begin to stop.
Stop the hate.
Stop the division.
Stop the jealousy.
Stop the lying.
Stop the manipulation.
Stop the pain-creation.
Stop all shred of negativity.
Take a fast from anger and
Never go back.
Cleanse your inner self,
Just as you might cleanse your colon.
You will find that your sensitivity increases
Allowing you to stop even mroe
At even deeper levels.

It is inevitable in this process
That you discover about yourself
Horrific things
Hiding under carpets
And in the closets of your soul.
Don’t be afraid.
They were there ten minutes before you found them and freaked out.

And when you have started
Step One
In earnest
You can begin Step Two.
But don’t worry.
You’ll be back,
Before you’re done.

(c) Sare Liz Anuszkiewicz, 2018.