Please Remind Me

Please remind me of why I am here
in this part of the world,
when I am somewhere else.

When anger stirs
over unwashed dishes,
unkept promises,
and unpaid bills,

please soften my heart
and remind me
of why I am here.

When frustration is triggered
by the same argument
for the hundredth time,

please tame my words,
deepen my breath,
and remind me of why I am here.

When my attention is drawn
like a magnet
to myself -
my needs,
my wants,
my comfort,
my pain-

please blink my mind
and allow my eyes to see
into the heart of another,
that I may attend to their needs

and bear their pain
and be dissolved
into the reason I am here.

I know that reason
yet, so often,
I find myself somewhere else
and forget.
Please remind me.

By Gregg Krech