I am not so sure that poetry is anywhere close to self-development.
It's not the same as picking up new shiny pennies off of the street
or even whole dollars, crumpled and stepped-on
and giving them to the homeless, although I would argue
that that isn't mercy but merely an attempt
to wash one's own karma in a non-threatening way.
It's not the same as pausing to think of those with less
opportunity, and being grateful.
It's a rabbit hole wherein to bury the thread of ego
follow it into the depths of soil and soul
plant it there and see what giant flower grows.
Poetry is much closer to gardening, for that reason.
Grow a poem.
