What do we see when we look in the mirror,
The nose the world tells us is too big for our face,
Or the unique nose lovingly carved by our creator?

 Are we the ones who walk blindly past the beggar,
Or those with the vision to see the scars and pain,
Hidden inside the many layers of brick and mortar?

 What do we hear as we go out into the world,
The complaints and criticisms of co-workers,
Or the morning dove singing in thanksgiving?

 Are we the ones deaf to the cries and shrieks,
Of the children cowering from thoughtless words,
Hurled from the mouths of those they love?

 Or are we the people whose hearing is so acute,
We are able to hear the wishes of the little children,
As they laugh and run through the tall, swaying grass?

 What do we feel as we sip our morning coffee,
The warmth of a compassionate sun on our face,
Or a stress that chills us down to our bones?

 Do we feel the softness of a silk dress or Armani shirt,
Or the velvety feel of a kind word said to a stranger,
The satiny touch of feeding those who are hungry?

 What do we smell as we walk down the street,
The rank and odoriferous garbage trucks,
Or the small flowers pushing through the cement?

 Can we smell those caught up by the whirlwinds of depression,
The perfume of uplifting words spoken by loved ones,
Filling the sails of their souls with the trade winds of discernment?

 What is the attitude that follows us through life,
The cynicism that the world is a giant cesspool,
Or the faith that with God we can do anything?

 And when we fall flat on our face from the hurdles of life,
Do we ignore the voices that tell us to stay down,
Overcome with anger, do we kick the wooden saw horse?

 Or do we listen to the sympathetic words from those who love us,
And laughing at our clumsiness, do we take the hand from above,
Confident that God is the one guiding our steps?

                              Jacqueline Newport