If I link my wrist
to yours with an iron cuff
Who then is bound?

Underneath violence
anger
Underneath anger
pain
Under pain
separation
separation
prejudice
And under prejudice
fear
What lies beneath fear?

A friend said to me once, “You can’t trust anyone, Leslie. No one can be trusted.”
Do you understand that what he said is true?
I cannot even trust myself. And if you trust me I can promise you nothing. I am vulnerable and I am weak. I’ve been hurt and I’m afraid.
Sometimes I will hurt you.
I don’t want to hurt you.
Sometimes you will hurt me.

My friend said, “You cannot trust anyone”, and that’s true, you know. You can’t. I can’t.

But he and I both knew, even as he said it, that it doesn’t matter. To be human - to be alive, we must trust. We must hope.

The paradox of life and love.
The spirit of hope and trust is alive in this room.
The people who gave me - and you, all that is here, opened for me over and over precious, tender places. No one speaks before you here without risk. Many blaze fierce hope from beneath a tangled mass of unmeasured spiritual violation.

Listen to them
With ears eyes and heart
Listen deeply.

Leslie
Visual artist

Update: this is me. I’m still here, still involved in small ways, still hoping the voices of these people will touch you, bring you closer to one another.