John Roedel: I Promise To Be As Kind As I Can With Your Heart

Photo by Molly

I Promise To Be As Kind As
I Can With Your Heart

 I spoke to a person

who is convinced their

deceased brother

is in hell

simply because of 

who they love

I told them that

if hell is real

I don't think

it is a destination

I believe hell is a campsite

that gets formed in the hearts

of people who judge others

for living a life that they refuse

to try and understand

those who condemn

others to damnation

are the city managers of

hell on Earth

my love,

let us build a heaven

in the space that exists

between my life and yours

let us create an endless garden

paradise where every single

exotic flower is honored

let us form a community of

angels who don't try to

polish each other's halos

we only have

so many heartbeats

left inside of us

to waste a single one

on deciding who gets

to grow like a sunflower

under the light of the hereafter

who knows what happens

to us when our bodies release

our souls like birthday party balloons?

why spend an ounce of energy

on deciding who gets to go to heaven

when we can spend our lives

building it here on Earth

with the bricks of how we

treat each other?

until I hear the harps

and see the golden gates

I'm going to consider this

world the Promised Land

and I promise to be as kind

as I can be with your heart

while we are here together

— John Roedel