You All I’ve ever wanted,      all I’ve ever needed,           was for someone to accept me for who I was                and not for what they thought they could make me to be;           someone who had vision to see beyond the surface noise;           someone who could hear my soul                and yearned to touch my spirit;           someone willing to plunge with me                into the mysterious underwater universe                     of whispering silence;           someone willing to allow themselves to be submerged with me                in the Living Forest                     where heart voices weave an everlasting tapestry                          of Acceptance and Love. I’ve existed forty-two years in the city,      seeking comfort from the cold gray concrete;      looking to the crumbling asphalt street for direction. This metropolis has never been able to still my trembling heart,      or kindle a fire in my soul,           and the direction kindly given,                only gave me assurance of an unending imprisonment. Now, I find myself weary of the stench of death,      weary of their inability to comprehend           the preciousness of the flame I hold in my heart;      weary of being weary. I’ve called this dung encrusted grotto home for far too long. So, with or without companionship,      while the flame still burns within,           I will make my way                back to my heart’s Home,                     the Sanctuary of my soul,                     my spirit’s Refuge;               back to the Forest,                    the amniotic realm of my birth,                         my Homeland;                         back to You. 1993
	Note:  This is my own personal Declaration of Indpendence.  I knew I needed independence.  The evolution of this poem in the sixteen years after I wrote it suggest I didn't know exactly what I needed to be free of, I just knew I needed to be free!  The soul of the piece is Unconditional Acceptance.  Initially, I thought this would be found in another person.  I was wrong.  Then I thought it could be found in some greater being.  Again, I was wrong.  I have finally come to understand the Unconditional Acceptance I was looking for could only be found within me; my Unconditional Acceptance of my Self.  First, You was another person.  Though this person was awesome in all she did for me, she could never be the You I was looking for.  Then, You was God.  But, though God showers me with every kind of Acceptance, Its showers couldn't get past my umbrella.  Only  when you Unconditionally Accept your Self can you truly be You.  Like Jesus said, whatever this Kingdom of Heaven thing is, it's inside You.  It's You.  Reread the first section again.  I thought I was looking for somebody, or something, else.  I really wasn't!  I was looking for Me; the You, Me; the Me that can be thought of as a You...sort of, kind of, lilke, you know?
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