Library Bipolarity

Word comes
that Gandhi has died
And yet
there is still love

Word comes
that Buddha has passed
And yet
bliss endures

there is love
there is hope
there is compassion
they do not belong to anyone
they are not to be owned
there is no exclusivity
there is no defining man
through them

Word comes
that Torquemada has died
And yet
there is still fear

Word comes
that Hitler has died
And yet
hate endures

there is fear
there is hate
there is anger
they do not belong to anyone
they are not to be owned
there is no exclusivity
there is no defining man
through them

each is
authentically powerless
like a book
resting impotently
upon the shelf

a book
ready to be read
on a sunny
or a rainy day

a book can tell one
what to do
but that choice is neither made
by the page
nor by the binding

it is only
what it is

like a book
to be replaced
upon the shelf
as the sun sets
upon the face