"There is a time and a place"
was the name of the one who arrived in a foreign land
where people walked backwards
and kept their faces covered
and their bodies bare
in the hot desert sun
What is this place
he thought to himself
how unenlightened these people are
do they not know that their genitals lay bare
for the world to see
and their faces remain covered
emotions hidden beneath muslin of blue
What a strange place indeed!
As the day passed
he continued to observe the customs of the local people
only to understand that
while seemingly strange
for these people the customs worked
and they managed to live
as they had
for many years before him
and likely
for many years after him
While sitting for tea
he realized
left bare to the world
there was no shame in their bodies
man and woman
without worry
looked past functionality
and into the minds of each other
what a revolutionary thought
disguised by my own prejudice
After some time spent wandering
“There is a time and a place” was approached by a tribe elder
and asked
Does it not feel funny
to walk with your toes first
and not see where you come from?
To which he responded
I had never thought about it that way
certainly I always want to understand where I came from
but I find it quite useful to see where I will go
In thoughtful repose, the elder contemplated his response
and said
It is from this moment on, that I declare my people will try walking sometimes seeing what lies ahead
and sometimes seeing where they have come from
In response “there is a time and a place” declared
From this moment forth
I will walk sometimes looking ahead
and sometimes looking behind
and I will sometimes leave my body bare, and head covered
that I may look into another’s soul
and not just at their body
So it was that each learned
and felt the truth in a new way of being
“There is a time and a place”
was the name of the one who lived in a foreign land
that was no longer foreign
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