Resistance

I wish I had the resistance of this leaf; 

That the disappointments in the daily news 

Would not infect my mood, 

But simply roll off, 

Like beads of water on a waxy leaf. 

But that, of course, would mean 

I could not feel — not just the pain of others 

But the joy of parental love, 

Of sunsets and shadows, 

Of creating and embracing; 

Of watching nature evolve through the seasons…