On A More Serious Note

(Yes I can be serious.)

Here's one of my favorite poems. It was originally found in an ancient Pali text written by one of Buddha's followers about 300 years after Buddha's death. The sensitive translation into English is attributed to a Theravada Buddhist scholar who now lives in California:

Love, without desire to possess,
knowing well that in the ultimate sense
there is no possession and no possessor:
this is the highest love.

Love, without speaking and thinking of "I"”,
knowing well that this so-called "I"” is a mere delusion.

Love, without selecting and excluding,
knowing well that to do so means to create love'’s own contrasts:
dislike, aversion and hatred.

Love, embracing all beings: small and great, far and near,
be it on earth, in the water, or in the air.