Read the Label
Poem: “Instructions” by Sheri Hostetler, from the anthology A Cappella: Mennonite Voices in Poetry © Sheri Hostetler
Instructions
Give up the world; give up self; finally, give up God.
Find god in rhododendrons and rocks,
passers-by, your cat.
Pare your beliefs, your absolutes.
Make it simple; make it clean.
No carry-on luggage allowed.
Examine all you have
with a loving and critical eye, then
throw away some more.
Repeat. Repeat.
Keep this and only this:
what your heart beats loudly for
what feels heavy and full in your gut.
There will only be one or two
things you will keep,
and they will fit lightly
in your pocket.
From the Writer’s Almanac by Garrison Keillor
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Some words.
Some poems.
God help us.
Family
Hope
Those are in my pocket.