"to thine own self be true..."

"...then as surely as night follows day, thou canst to no man be false," said shakespeare. he was such a genius.

earlier today, a directed me to this beautiful reflection. it is so well-written truly, but would i have appreciated it just as well had i seen and read it several years ago? doubtful. so there is perhaps something to be said about the reader's ability to receive as well. unless both pieces fit in with each other, the magic is missing. and when they fit, epiphany strikes.

perhaps that is why there are poems that hit me differently than they hit you. perhaps it is the ideas and ideals that go through me that decide what i like, how much, and why. for instance, if there is one thing i want more than anything in this world - it is to love. freely, selflessly, unconditionally, unstoppably, unhelpably. given this (rather impossible) dream, hafiz's poem on the sun's love for the sky speaks to me loud and clear. just as when i sit in the dentist's chair, ogden nash comes to mind. just as when i'm graduating (a frequent enough occurrence, i suppose), kipling's "if" comes to mind.

i walk around with a soul that needs watering. each time it is watered, i fall in love. and then whether it is poem, song, quote, or cherry blossoms on a tree - it matters naught.