And they remember
their own adolescence,
their own teenage years
their own young adulthood.
And they practice guiding,
and then they surrender
to restraint.
They question the meaning and the difference
between condoning and tolerance.
And they practice
and they give
and they ask for faith.
And then they surrender.
“Consider the trees which allow the birds to perch, and fly away, without either inviting them to stay, or desiring them never to depart. If your heart can be like this, you will be nearer to the way.”
—Zen Buddhist teaching
