Crane Dance -

«In all things, there must be balance.»

So my teacher says to me.

«Living life’s the point of things,

But balance is the key.

There is power in the balance

That allows a crane to stand.

My son, you must learn balance

To assist your empty hands.

«For balance guides the butterflies,

And lets the seasons turn.

The greatness inside any man

Is the balance that he learns.»

In my life there’s been no balance —

I was taught to lose or cheat.

How am I to balance

With no ground beneath my feet?

How will learning to be hurt and hate

Help me to have a chance?

While a crane may stand by balance,

You will never see one dance.

For balance is a fairy tale

I never will achieve.

The naive may find balance,

But the bitter can’t believe.

Still I try to catch my balance

Where the sand hills meet the sea.

Do I need another’s faith,

Or my own faith in me?

With my head above the water

I can sometimes see the land.

Could it be I must see balance

Before I can understand

That balance is as balance does,

Between the left and right?

Balance means you understand

The crane when it’s in flight.

Almost lost, can I find balance

In the guise of what I fear?

Could it be a test of fire?

Must make the balance clear!

This fire only balances

The cold I’ve known so long.

From this balancing, I will emerge

A single human strong.

For balance tempers light and dark,

And guides these empty hands.

Like the crane, whose one leg bears his all,

With balance, I can stand.