Lines Standing in for Religious Conviction

Truth of it is: I was born

With an empty center.

When I find myself there,

It’s often despair.

But now and then, it’s Zen.

A leap of faith from a cliff?

I prefer hope

And bring my own rope.

A focused love is a doubled

Devotion—each shrine

I build deepens my mind.

Only when I yearn, do I learn.

And what helps me grow is holy.