Two Oceans

   She is a bottomless ocean,
      The world sees her waves.
   And when she hugs its shores,
      It smiles back at her.
   Her daily tides are felt,
      And they leave traces of her presence.
   But not so obvious are the purpose, direction
      and deep warmth of her currents below the surface.

   He, too, is an ocean,
      Next to her,
   His own shape and
      His own currents under.
   His extent is wide and deep,
      As he stretches and swells,
   But he wonders where his limit is,
      Next to her.

   For oceans are not like countries:
      They have no borders, no lines of separateness.
   And between two oceans,
      No customs are needed,
   And the secret flows and schools
      Deep inside them
   Travel between them unawares,
      As if they were but one.

   So the world sees them together,
      As on a map.
   And we see their tides and waves,
      Even their storms.
   But underneath, they calmly, endlessly,
      Move together,
   And share elements of themselves
      In their depths.

From the Tao

The Tao tells us that the best way to conduct ourselves may be observed in the behavior of water.
Water is useful, no, essential to every living thing, yet it does not demand pay for its services.
It does not even require that it be recognized, esteemed or appreciated for its benefits.

Nothing in the world
Is as soft and yielding as water.
Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible,
Nothing can surpass it.

The soft overcomes the hard;
The gentle overcomes the rigid.
Everyone knows this is true,
But few can practice it.

The natural path of water to the ocean is simple and, the path of least resistance.
All streams flow to the sea because the sea is lower than they are.
Humility gives the sea its power.