At the midpoint of the month, so follows the theme for todays poem.
Median
The middle is always messy.
In negotiations, Mo Mowlam
Famously hurled down her chemo wig,
A gauntlet to any renegers
To get real, to stop flim-flamming,
Be mired. This was a fight for life
Not just history of empire.
The middle is always messy.
In every He Said and She Said
Fraught in the trenches of domestic
Un-bliss, curdling into aspic –
The icy frontier carved down the bed.
This is a fight for life. Put barbwire
Round your heart if you must. Bank your trust.
The middle is always messy.
Boundaries are good, necessary,
To broker a peace, play fair, straight bat.
A strategic withdrawal. Cutbacks.
Borders need invisibility
whether during child handover
Or hostage return. Fighting for life,
The middle is always messy.
The Middle Way is cast up to us
As an ideal path to tread in life.
Lao Tzu advised against storm and strife
As too extreme for happiness.
The aim’s to give the edges a blur.
In this precious life, feel only blessed.
Yet the middle can be messy.