Here is the only place we can start, and now is the only time to begin

A place to sit and talk together.

A place to make messy and clean up
and make messy again
and clean up again
many, many times.

A place to stop, and reflect,
and be by oneself.

A place to curl up
with the warm bodies
of those closest,
without pretense or guile.

A place of no agenda
to return to,
a sacred space wherein
those who would erect thrones for themselves:

- those whose eyes are blurred reddish-green
from staring at ticking dollar signs,
those whose fingers
are permanently clutched
around the handles of inflated gavels
banging out their own self-importance
all in the name of 'the system,'
'law and order,' or 'the good of the people' -

...a sacred space wherein the pure waters
of true perception
wash away all such illusions
and every vain,
short-sighted
small-me construction of self
is turned to ash and rinsed away
in love's cleansing fires.

A space we know.

A space whose life-giving resonances
are to us as water is to whalesong,
a medium through which
we may sing our hearts into expression.

A space we know -
a space where every lungful of air
recalls the fragrance
of the One we desire most,
a space that causes our feet to grow roots
and wings to burst out of our shoulder blades.

A space where we find it easy to be generous,
a space where "No" is not the answer
and there is always room for one more
around our table.

A space we may search for,
for a long time,
before settling in and remembering
that right here, within,
is the only place we can start.

A space we call forth together,
by inviting each other in
and saying:

"Here...
here you may be You.

Here there is room enough for all of You,
your broken smile 
and your perfect laugh,
your habitual concerns,
small-minded moments,
and your budding voice.

Here, because I choose to,
I declare that none of you
shall be rejected,
that every piece will be embraced.
Even when I'm cranky.

Here is where I declare 
I want you to be
all of You.
Here is where you are allowed,
for it is my deepest desire
to learn the many pieces of you so well
that someday I may come to know 
the greater Whole.

Here is where you may share all of your secrets,
those you already know
and those you have yet to be given.

Here you may belch,
fart, and cry.
Here you may scream,
here you may make unreasonable demands
when you feel afraid
and exaggerated claims 
when you feel boastful.

Here you may forget yourself,
and lie in my arms.
Here you may slam the door behind you
and run away if you need to.

Here, there is space for you.

Here, there is someone who knows you.
Here there is someone 
who has seen the Truth:
that we are all greater
than the sum of our parts,
and that every part is needed.

Here is someone 
who says "Yes" to you,
every time.

Here, we know
we cannot do this alone.

Here, we do it together,
because we choose to.

Here is where we make our home."