Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Compassion Groove

Since Johanna spoke so pointedly about compassion in her first post (see 11/24/07), I thought that it would be a nice start to the year 2008 to reflect on the following poem written by Stefanie Cassetto and presented admirably in a live performance by Randy Vandeventer earlier in 2007 at Johanna's home church.

Compassion Groove

© 2007 Stefanie Cassetto / Manchester Christian Church.

I’m trying to find my compassion groove

What it is that makes me move

That makes my heart go

Thump-thump, thump-thump

That makes my throat choke back that lump

What I’ve come up with so far

Are people and places

On the brink

On the edge

On the mend

On the outside

Wanting in

And my heart goes out

And my groove begins…

My heart goes out to you…

The lonely one

Needing a friend

Maybe heart-broken

Maybe at the end

Of a rope

Clinging to hope

That someone will come close

Someone will see you

Someone will hear you

Someone will want to be near you

You need love

Want love

But it’s hard to reach out

You swallowed the lie that you’re not worth the trouble

I’ll meet you half-way

Not good enough

I’m there on the double

My heart goes out to you

My heart goes out to you…

Africa…crippled by disease

New Orleans…stolen by storm

Iraq…damaged by war

Kabul…ransacked by injustice

New York City…wounded for life

North Korea…kidnapped by lies

What can I do?

My heart beats quick.

Love God. Thump-thump.

Love people. Thump-thump.

My heart goes out to you…

The one whose eyes have seen some hard stuff

Whose shoes I am not brave enough to walk

You’ve traveled dusty miles for water

You’ve cried tears of fear

You’ve seen too much death

What can I do…

Kleenex isn’t enough

To wipe away the past

Those memories that last

What can I say…

To make the pain go away?

God is your refuge

What can I do?

My heart goes out to you

Okay, I’m almost done…but not quite

My heart goes out to you…

the one sitting on your couch…

doing nothing

Feeling nothing

Well, maybe you feel something

When you watch the news

Disgust, rage, the Red Sox blues?

Bitterness, resentment, a little pride?

Sympathy, empathy…

did you feel something break inside?

But what does it take to get you to move

To get your feet to hit the floor

And say I’m not going to take it anymore

I’m not going to take

What I see that’s not right

Injustice

Poverty…push it out of sight

Well, I’m gonna fight

Fight to care for the lonely waitress

Fight for the one who can’t speak my language

Fight to care for the man on the street

Or the one across my office…just a few feet

Fight the urge to stayed glued to my seat

Fight complacency

Fight my ego

Where He goes…we go

Eating with sinners

Loving his enemies

He’s my compassion hero

He blazed the trail that we gotta follow

You know what I mean?

He saw something when he looked at people

Not just their skin…

Their hair…

What got them there…

To that place of

Broken-ness

Hopeless-ness

Selfish-ness

Lonli-ness

Wrestless-ness

He saw those battles we couldn’t win

Not on our own

And up welled compassion again

He saw something when he looked at me

So…I’m waving the white flag

It’s time to give in

Give into compassion

Find my passion

Get my mind connected to my heart

And my heart connected to my feet

So I can make the hard walk across my street

To my neighbor in need

And my hands…

There’s power in my hands that compassion can reek havoc with

When I dare to touch the untouchable

Dare to lend some help

Dare to care

Dare to reach into my wallet

And my words…

Messengers of hope

Like butterflies in the breeze

Have no fear

My God is here

I love you

Peace

I’m not going to fake it anymore

Pretending like I care

Pretending like I don’t

I can’t do it…I won’t

I’m on a mission

Compassion towards all.

The big bucks and the small

Time to feel

Time to move

Time to get on our compassion groove

Love God. Thump-thump.

Love people. Thump-thump.

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