Reach or Withdraw

I might have got it wrong, because I often do
But there is something I would like to say to you.
We all have a choice to reach out towards the others
Or we can remain hiding behind our mothers.

Of course that is just what’s called a figure of speech
About mother figures but we should really reach
Out towards the strangers who we so often meet
They are the ones we are so hesitant to greet.

So many folks tend to withdraw into their shell
Instead of calling out ‘Hello there, are you well?”
We should always try to make people feel at home
After all it is our planet on which they roam

Communication is something we could all do
Especially the likes of both me and you
We’ve been shown how it helps and we know how it’s done
If you reach out to them, it’s good for everyone.

Let’s master, if we can, the opening remark
A soft smile and a quiet word, not an angry bark
It helps to let someone talk about their life,
Their hopes and dreams, perhaps the husband or their wife.

If we don’t start then it’s certain they never will
It is time not other people we should want to kill
If we don’t then that is the way it’ll go one day
Just because you didn’t have something nice to say.

Jim Burtles
October 2006

Jim George Burtles