Self

What is self?

And what should I find

Do I seek a universal oneness or the mirror kind?

Alone unto itself with utter devotion

Or many, afraid, full of fragmented emotions

I live with a myriad of selves

They take space in my mind

Some easy to see, some hard to define

There is much of myself, some I keep, some I lose

But more important to me is the self I can use

There’s the self that is selfish—that one I deny

I don’t always win, but I always do try

To be self-fulfilled seems an honorable goal

Though I must achieve without selling my soul

To give thought, word, and deed is self-sacrifice

So that others may have I will pay the price

My heart guides my mind to the self I perceive

For the worse self of all is to be self-deceived

To live, love and laugh is a blessing on earth

To experience true joy you must have self worth

More precious than gold or material wealth

Is a prosperous soul with a true sense of self

RUPERT HINDS