Rise up to meet the dawn with outstretched hands,
Not to grasp for yourself, but to render service.
Clad yourself in honor, but seek not glory for glory’s sake.
Resist those who stir your passions but suppress your reason
Urging you to lawlessness without reflection
Beware of hypocrites who shamelessly shiftshape, fitting their actions to the opportunity
Weigh every word on the scales of truth and justice
Insist on honest dealings in all matters,
Weed out false friends but nurture the good and true.
Be unafraid to climb to lofty heights, but keep your balance once there
This, above all: to thine own self be true, no matter the consequences
March forward, ever championing truth and justice.
Kathleen Chamberlin is a retired educator living in Albany, New York. She began writing creatively during the quarantine period of Covid-19. Her writing has appeared in both print and online journals and anthologies. She enjoys gardening, genealogy and her grandchildren.
