THE DISTANCE BETWEEN OUR HEARTS

# THE DISTANCE BETWEEN OUR HEARTS

*By William S. Becker*

Five days remain, and my heart's already there,  

Among all my brothers, united in prayer.  

But my pockets are empty, no wheels to ride,  

And a thousand miles stand between me and their side.

I've suffered through losses, through anguish and pain,  

But this kind of longing cuts deeper again.  

For I don't seek riches, or pleasures, or fame,  

Just to sit with my brothers and call out His Name.

To lower my head, to annul what I am,  

To give them my heart, not a piece, but the man.  

To stand in their circle, with nothing to hide,  

And feel all our hearts beating as one inside.

God damn this distance, this helpless despair,  

To know where my heart lives, yet not to be there.  

No money, no car, just these tears that I cry,  

While the world keeps on turning, indifferent to why.

But love knows no borders, no highways, no walls,  

And the heart of a brother still hears when one calls.  

So I'll give them my longing, my sorrow, my pain,  

And pray that their unity blossoms like rain.

Let them rise higher, though I cannot attend,  

Let my broken heart serve every brother and friend.  

And if I must remain here, alone and apart,  

Then let them all gather **inside my heart.**

For the Creator knows what these tears are worth,  

When a man wants connection more than all of this earth.  

And though I can't hold them, or look in their eyes,  

**I'll carry their love till the day that I rise.**

**And if my heart breaks, let it break for them all,  

For love is the reason I answered His call.**

A Carpet Beneath Their Feet

 "A Carpet Beneath Their Feet"

I did not come to stand above,

Or claim the highest place in love.

I came to bow, to bend, to kneel,

To lift my friends beyond what I feel.

Let them walk upon my pride,

Let every selfish thought subside.

I'll be the carpet beneath their feet,

If through my love, their souls can meet.

What good is wisdom locked inside,

While brothers suffer from my pride?

What good are prayers that fill the air,

If I refuse their burdens to bear?

The ego screams, "You must be first!"

But that is where the heart is cursed.

For every time I demand my way,

I push the light of love away.

So break my arrogance, strip it bare,

Until there's nothing left but care.

Not for the honor, not for the crown,

But for the strength to bow me down.

We do not need to think the same,

Or wear one face, or speak one name.

Our differences are not the wall,

But opportunities to rise above them all.

And when disturbances shake the ground,

When love seems lost and cannot be found,

We'll hold each other through the night,

And turn our darkness toward the light.

For every blow the ego brings,

Another chance for the heart to sing.

Another chance to choose the friend,

Another wall of separation to end.

I'll give my strength when yours is gone,

You'll lift me up when I can't go on.

And through the concessions that we make,

A single heart begins to wake.

Until no brother stands alone,

No separate kingdom, no selfish throne.

Just one desire, one common plea,

That all my friends rise higher than me.

And at the threshold, bruised and worn,

A different kind of life is born.

Not through the strength of flesh or mind,

But through the love we build and bind.

Then what was hidden starts to show,

A world the selfish heart can't know.

And in the vessel between us all,

We hear the Creator's loving call.

So let me be the lowest stone,

Upon which every friend has grown.

For when their hearts together rise,

The upper worlds open before our eyes.

And if my friends attain that height,

Then every wound was worth the fight.

For I have found what I came to be—

A servant of love, where all are free.

THE PLACE WHERE LOVE IS BORN

  

We came together broken, each carrying his own,  

A thousand selfish wishes, a heart of hardened stone.  

We thought we'd find the Creator somewhere in the skies,  

But He was waiting patiently between our blinded eyes.

We lived our lives in searching, through pleasure, grief, and pain,  

Through wives and sons and daughters, through sunshine and the rain.  

Yet everything we gathered, and everything we'd known,  

Revealed a deeper hunger that none could fill alone.

We came to love our brothers, but found our hearts were cold,  

Our pride was worth a fortune, yet our love was cheaply sold.  

We spoke of love and giving, while calculating gain,  

And wondered why our prayers returned unanswered once again.

We pointed at each other, at everything they'd done,  

Until we saw the enemy was hiding in each one.  

Not in the hearts of others, nor somewhere far away,  

But in the selfish nature that we battle every day.

And every crack between us, each wound we learn to see,  

Becomes a place to ask for love, for what we long to be.  

For none can build the Shechina with selfish hands alone,  

It rises from our common prayer, where hearts become as one.

So let me bow before you, my brothers of the Ten,  

And when my pride comes roaring, I'll bow to you again.  

Not because I'm worthy, not because I'm strong,  

But because without your loving hearts, I'll never move along.

We do not seek perfection, nor crowns upon our heads,  

We seek the love of others, where our selfish nature dreads.  

And when we find we're helpless, with nothing left to give,  

We turn toward the Creator, who teaches us to live.

For lowly is the creature, yet glorious is the call,  

To build a place between us where His love embraces all.  

Not ten separate wishes, each pleading to be free,  

But one united longing for the love we cannot see.

So break this heart of selfishness, but leave its fire alive,  

And turn its burning hunger toward the friends for whom we strive.  

Let every breath be given, let every prayer be true,  

Until the love between us reveals the One in You.

We came together broken, but now we understand,  

The Creator brought us here to take each other's hand.  

For where our hearts surrender, where selfish wishes cease,  

The Shechina finds a dwelling, and our souls discover peace.

**We did not come to find Him in some distant world above,  

We came to build the vessel where He reveals His love.**