<html aria-label="message body"><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">It Bears Repeating</font></span></div><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;"><br></font><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">How can it be that this grasping</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">For power, for fulfillment, for permanence</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">Bolstered by greed, cruelty, delusion</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">Exists side by side</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">With beauty, compassion, kindness?</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">How the centuries have rubbed </font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">together, civilizations collided</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">To produce, no good answer, </font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">just the dust left after </font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">the wreckage and the resurrection.</font></span></div><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;"><br></font><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">In this moment, a quiet settles on </font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">The meadow, a gauze of fall mist hangs,</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">Somewhere the news pimps its usual power plays</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">The shadow theater of lies and deceit</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">Drones on for the distracted audience.</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">I am bone tired and numb with grief.</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">My usual companions of desire and protection</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">Seem like flat and lifeless company,</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">But as the jewels of dew ignite with morning light </font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">there is something that inspires a wild hope</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">that gets me to tap out these words,</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">To let in this fall morning, to open to the strange</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">Peace within me that I cannot describe, but is as real</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">As the light cascading through the trees;</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">No longer the center of the Universe,</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">I am the Universe.</font></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;"><br></font></span></div><div style="white-space: pre-wrap; line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;"> - Barry Vesser</font></span></div></div></body></html>