humans are inherently

self-directed creatures.

whenever we walk, drive, or point

somewhere, it feels like north,

as if the world shifts on its axis

to suit us, not us shifting to suit the world.

when all is north, mothers are mean

to children, boyfriends are mean to girlfriends,

selves are mean to selves.

we pretend that we are the causes,

when the effects will exist long after us,

just as the trees, the roads, the mothers,

and all that is mean existed long

before us. we cannot stop from going south,

and yet believe

there is something particularly extraordinary

in any journey northwards. how do we center

ourselves, you may ask. be kind

to the trees, to the children, to the selves.

and when you walk, drive, or point,

look around and see that all that is beautiful

precedes you, not from above, but from within.