The Hinterland

To not invade nor be invaded,
To realise what I am does not need defending,
For it is eternal and invulnerable,
To stand on the border of you and I,
And stand down all the armies that led me here,
Firm and upright and looking you in the eye,
To feel the power that flows through me,
Yet to know that it will not consume me,
Nor will I be tempted to use it irresponsibly,
Nor will I shy away from it such that others will falsley lay claim,
And there to balance the polarities in me,
Recognise, be with and then unite,
A masculine feminine red blue left right hot cold composite,
And here to live and breathe,
Connected to my source in joy and release,
Not fixing you nor being fixed,
Not caring nor caring not,
Not rushing on nor rushing back,
Not looking away nor staring down,
Blazing in a neutral glory,
As God intended me to be,
Like a flower opening its petals to the sun,
Giving without ego, receiving without guilt,
Breathing in and breathing out,
Like a tide that ebbs and flows around its core,
And knowing that in this space all who find me will find themselves,
All who reach out will be reaching in,
All that could be will forever be,
As gently in forgiveness a healing stream washes through this world,
When we stand together in the hinterland.

(This poem uses the metaphor of the 'hinterland' - the undeveloped, rural land outlying a coastal port. What might we find in the 'hinterland' of personal relationships? Relationships based on mutual respect and diversity rather than the need to dominate others or be dominated by them. Many relationships are grounded in fear. To deal with the fear, a person chooses to 'attack' another or to get their 'defence' in first. It is a cycle that we all have learnt as a way of getting by but ultimately it leads to 'war' between people, between groups, between organsiations and between nations. Some give away their power too easily for fear of its potential. Some steal the power of others for fear that they don't have enough for themselves. The poem challenges this world view and challenges the reader to find the power within, to claim this honestly but to use it responsibly. This then is a natural, sustainable power and beauty like that of a flower, like that of the tide. It is a hugely attractive power because of the example it sets to others. It leads to reconciliation, forgiveness and intimacy.)