– in honor of Parker J. Palmer

Enter the dark room
it is where the Truth hides
under blankets of wool
heavy and coarse
it breathes in the
winter of your soul;
in the dark room
the Truth hides.
Enter with the carelessness of
the moth to a flame
for the Truth is only there…
…cloaked in dreams and nightmares
that must be seen,
embraced,
misunderstood.
The Truth waits in the dark room
for the warrior in you
to guide it beyond
the closet of secrets
and out from under
the bed of muffled voices;
it is where the warrior in you
must go alone and together
with the faith of every warrior before you…
…let them lead you
even in your fear
to the dark room
the place where the Truth hides
and waits
with stuffed animals of childhood
with sorted fumblings of a teen
with confused values of your young self
with musical moments of the life that brings you
back to the Truth
again and again
when you don’t even know it’s
the Truth.
Where is the warrior now that you know?
In the dark room –
or leading your Truth
to the light?