Reflections
by Randy C. Archer

We stumble and drift through our lives, Having little choice but to believe that what we see is truth
Our eyes mere instruments of perception, Our minds mere tools of our surroundings
But as the bonds of Vision, Awareness, and Spirit are willed stronger, The whole becomes greater than the parts
We begin to see with our soul that is set free by the spirit
And speak from our hearts through our eyes and our actions
Our clarity of what was irrefutable crumbles, The list of things that were unquestioned discarded
We begin to understand that what were universal truths
Were merely products of conditions within the limits that we imposed
What was crystal clear at dawn is murky by noon
And is transformed into an entirely different and separate truth In the magical light of dusk
Reality itself becomes a product of light, Point of view, And the condition of the viewing soul
Reality and truth are even more questionable or reliable through reflection
Reflection is a refractor and binder and catalyst of perception
It will further confuse the mind or give the gift of focus to the heart
It is only through reflection that we are able to see ourselves
With the mirror of awareness, A forest pond, Or in a lovers eyes
The reflection of who we are is painted by the winds and the calm within our hearts
Mine is a heart that resides on a chain about my neck, Vulnerable to even the smallest of barbs
Yet its capacity for love remains untested, Its limits of compassion unexplored
I have no ability to deceive or to mask the way I feel, Or to screen the depths of my passion
What you see is all that I am, The windows to my soul are open, My innermost feelings in plain view
The blinds shall never again be drawn, My eyes shall always be truth
Against a will of hurtful intent, I offer no defense. Against the slashes to my spirit, I raise no guard
I resolve to no longer live with self imposed barriers. I relinquish my illusion of control to allow life to flow
My resolve is for the art of existence with all of its faces
I accept the hurt with the happiness, The disappointment with the exaltation, The sting with the caress
For how are we to recognize pleasure without the balance of pain?
I understand the relationship of triumph with despair, Abundance and survival, Sorrow and sunrise
I accept that there can be no new beginnings without the inevitable end
I long for what will never be and rejoice for what is
My tears trace an emptiness of incomplete being, My laughter is an expression of boundless love
I feel the burn of my life’s regrets And patiently await my sins of tomorrow
Atonement had been an obsession, Repentance a prelude to progress and growth
What I have been is not nearly enough. What I am I shall come to know. What I will be has yet to be written
Accept what you see with your senses and your vision of the soul
To expend the effort is to see, Understand, And share the light
I have laid myself bare, Look upon your reflection with mine
If you like what you see, I am your friend of uncompromising devotion
Hence you come to love what you see, I will accept and give nothing less than all