So scared of people

that the only safety he found

was in closing down

and hiding away his heart.

A boy so scared of love

that he told himself a thousand stories

about women and life.

About pleasure and lust,

about romance and trust.

A thousand stories to justify

the avoidance of commitment

and the escape from responsibility.

A boy so scared, he used his mind as a shield

so that his heart wouldn’t break open.

So afraid to be alone

that he filled up his bed

with many women

afraid -too- of their own loneliness.

A tragic dance of two people

craving nothing more

than to be seen and loved

yet clinging

to their eyes staying closed

and their hearts hidden..

It is not true what the math states

two negatives never make a positive.

I was once a boy

who objectified

and took from the feminine..

in all her forms:

Mother, sisters, lovers and nature herself.

Entitled to their caring gestures..

yet stingy with his giving.

I was once a little boy who

growing up absent from his heart

did not know how to receive

someone else’s

so they broke in his hands.

A little boy so blind

he stepped over the softest of flowers

and brought chaos

to the prettiest of gardens.

I was once an agent of destruction and pain

and I’m sorry about that.

In recent years I’ve made a vow,

that today I want to share with you:

I vow to protect and restore

all that is sacred and beautiful

starting with my own heart,

then my family’s

my community

and life at large.

I now take a stand for the sacredness of family..

For most of today’s pain in the world

can be traced back to a father and a mother

that through their absence

or their forceful presence

bruised their kid’s heart.

I vow to support, guide and educate

powerful men and heart-aligned women

committed to creating

conscious relationships

and sacred families.

I vow to help us

re-member

what it’s like

for the masculine

and the feminine

to live in harmony.

To raise and praise The Feminine

in all of her glory

To help rise and make wise, The Masculine

in all of his strength.

I vow to be a bridge

to the creation and restoration

of divine union.

Within each of us

With our beloved

& with the world.

AHO