I have this image of myself as being mindful, 
sitting above the fray.
 
 In my dreams.

The truth is, I’m not above the fray at all,
because the fray is my own mind.

For example, it’s never my intention
 to be blindsided by hate or greed.
But I do get blindsided -
in the sense that when they show up, I can’t see.
My clarity is gone. They are the fray.

So I do what I can, like I’m guessing we all do.
For me that means 
trying to notice hate and greed before I’ve acted on them;
once they arrive, staying interested in a non-partisan way;
and ultimately, trying to let them go.

Because I feel like, what else can I do?
I need to let them go if I want to be able to hear 
what others are saying.
And I need to hear what others are saying
to understand how to love them.
So what else can I do but let go, and listen?
What else can any of us do?