The Medicine of Words

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS

Dr. Gregory T. Lawton

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS The Medicine of Words, Copyright 2021 Dr. Gregory T. Lawton All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written permission from Gregory T. Lawton.

Muyblue Productions 2040 Raybrook SE, Suite 104 Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

Writing, Photography, Art, and Design – Dr. Gregory T. Lawton

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Dedication Whenever I write anything that I consider to be of import, I always dedicate it to those people in my life who are true sources of light and love. This book is dedicated to a young man who said that I am like a father to him. To that dear and special young man, you know who you are….

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Preface I am trying to understand how I came to write these words. For my own healing perhaps? Words can heal and they are medicine. As a physician and teacher, I have witnessed the power of the balm of words as it spreads across the heart. I have seen miraculous healing and lives transformed with the medicine of words. I have seen the soul like a whale swimming to the surface of the ocean, dancing across the waves, and breathing in the holy remedy of words.

“O thou distinguished physician! … Praise be to God that thou hast two powers: one to undertake physical healing and the other spiritual healing. Matters related to man’s spirit have a great effect on his bodily condition. For instance, thou shouldst impart gladness to thy patient, give him comfort and joy, and bring him to ecstasy and exultation.” Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 151 It is not unusual that I will write copious amounts of material that is the result of special moments in my life, or that is the result of deep meaningful interaction with others. This book is a result of such moments.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS I have learned to allow my friends to share my happiness and joy.

So that when I need them the most They are willing to share my pain.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS I see you are sitting alone and looking lonely, And I want to say, “What is sorrow but the fear of loving”?

What is estrangement but the fear of loss?

Do not fear this isolation, like an empty house Your heart is simply waiting for its Master to return.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS When I am lonely, I feel like my light has dimmed And dark clouds have moved in and blocked the sun.

Then, the medicine of words, whether prayer or poem, Permeates my blood and the chill of loneliness leaves me.

As my sight clears, I see my light was always there.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS I hold close to my heart those special ones Who although suffering, in pain, or dying Are like the setting sun shedding its most colorful rays.

Choosing to spend what little time they have here Sacrificing for the needs and wellbeing of others.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS It takes a 1000 kind words or more To undo the hurt of an insult.

It is better to water the heart with kindness Than try to mend it after it is broken.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS When I built a fence around myself To keep you away from my heart, Know that I built an entrance gate Hoping that you would find it.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS I have learned to appreciate snow And cold air sliding slowly across my body.

Like the grass, I have learned not to complain Knowing that this is how joy appears in our lives, First, we are cold and empty, then are warm and full.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS When you have been wronged by someone Immediately forgive them, forgive them.

Then leave them quietly with this blessing, “May all peace and kindness be yours”.

Then walk away and shed your light elsewhere.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS A rainbow-colored hummingbird flew to my lips.

She must have mistaken me for a pregnant flower, And my lips for nectar.

She made me want to live up to her expectations, From here on I will only utter sweetness.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS I will not leave here quietly.

I will yell and scream, and fight tooth and nail.

They will have to send a meteor and lightning To break my grip from the earth.

People will celebrate my death Until the end of time.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS I have belatedly come to understand That my longest relationship is with myself.

Perhaps then I should learn to love the heart That beats within my own breast.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS The only time I see flowers is when they grow And when they bloom and open to the sun.

I see them resplendent in their beauty and flagrance.

I do not see flowers when they are faded or wilted, Or fallen to the ground and rotting in the dirt.

And when I see you – I see you in full bloom and open to the sun, In resplendent beauty and flagrance.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Consider that once you leave here The seeds you planted will grow, Bloom, and drop new seeds, And the entire earth will become A beautiful garden of flowers.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS As my hair turned grey I thought I had finished my work.

Now I know, our work is never done.

After this page, there is another page, And when this chapter ends, another will follow.

How silly of me to think that the eternal ends.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS I once caught a glimpse of souls Luminous and radiant on earth, And I realized you cannot become Someone else’s light.

You must ignite your own.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS How did I become a bridge between These two worlds?

One in the harsh glare of light And the other disappearing in the fog.

I am getting weary from the traffic.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS I was drowning in voices Unable to hear my own, Until I stopped fighting the waves And learned to swim with them.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS You own every word you speak And every word you write.

They are your responsibility From the moment they are uttered Until they finally die in silence.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS I asked my being to allow me to be vulnerable.

To break the eggshell, I placed around me, And to ooze into life without fear.

My being agreed saying, “I thought you would never ask.”

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS I was raised to never ask personal questions.

To never intrude into people’s private lives.

How I wish I had gently slipped a finger Between the folds of the envelope,

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Your task is to sew yourself into the fabric of life, Stitch by stitch with sore bleeding hands, Your blood leaking from torn fingers, And staining the thread.

You wonder, when will this tapestry be finished?

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Loneliness moved into the hollow, Once home to your eyes.

I can only think of filling the holes with honey, Its sweet stickiness will catch all the love That is poured into you.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS I want you learn the word special.

I want you to wrap yourself in its warmth.

I want you to write it in henna across your breast, And engrave it in golden letters on your heart.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Although I promised not to, I have allowed myself to open like a flower And the falling rain to fill me with words.

I have no choice now But to share their fragrance with you.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Never feel guilt for starting over again.

For falling out of one house And landing on your feet in another.

We were never meant to settle, But to soar.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS If only you could love more.

The salt flowing through your veins Would turn to sugar And your sweetness would attract Endless and eternal love.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Tears are a gift beyond words, Beyond treasure, gold, or jewels.

Tears mean I am alive enough to hurt And my pain is my healing.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Pity the sunflower As it awakens to follow the sun On its journey across the sky And bows its head in mourning At its setting.

That is how I feel about God.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS On the last day when words fail.

We will speak with our fingers And love with our touch.

Like when you lay dying And our fingers say goodbye.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS I don’t know where I go But I keep disappearing And when I reappear I feel chastised and repentant.

Perhaps if I just sit here for awhile I will remember who I am.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS I have heard it said the body is a horse That carries the soul through this life.

If this is true, then tighten the reins And spur the charger on.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Pity the moon as it tugs at the water Trying to draw it to itself.

That is how I feel about love, I am the moon and you the water.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS True friends do not stand in your way.

They do not build walls around you.

Instead, they get out of your way And become ladders to your dreams.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS My only desire is your happiness.

When you are happy you are a light And seeing your happiness, I light up too.

We become two shining stars in the sky.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS When we are together We breathe the same air, Share the same light.

Is it possible we share the same soul?

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS You are unique.

God took His time with you And made you different from others.

When you question this Artistry You doubt the existence you are proof of.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS In the early morning hours, before the sun paints the day in color The world appears in stark contrast.

Your first conversation should be with yourself.

Unlike speaking to others The soul listens patiently and does not judge.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS I am certain I do not belong here, That I was destined to live my life in another house, Far up the road, in a fairer city, of bright lights and loving hearts.

This place of coldness and hatred, of violence and death, Is not my home.

This place is a mortuary, where I weep with the other mourners.

If we are destined to leave here soon, what is there to fight over?

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS When you feel the warmth of empathy You are bathing in the light of another soul And are cleansed of judgment and intolerance.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Do not bother to ask others what they think.

You have your own special path to travel.

When you ask a friend what they think.

All they see is where they have been.

You are not headed in that direction.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Accept the grace given to you And be free of envy.

The blessings that others receive Are not your failings.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Everyone knows right from wrong, But many chose to ignore The promptings of their heart.

While the heart may be blind, The body is no one’s fool, And it feels the wrong your heart denies.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS I am working on loving people more.

I tried hate and found it unfulfilling.

It left me empty and cold inside.

Now there is a sun rising in my breast And I want to bask in its warmth.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Hush do not say a word.

With every word you utter about yourself The Beloved blanches and turns away.

This mask of false pride you wear Does not become you.

Why hide your light in shadows of insecurity?

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS There is no home for me Held by the arms of others.

Instead, I wish to nest in a tree, Where mind, body, and spirit Entangle their roots And I the “me” that is “I” flies free.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS You are a leaf drifting in the current Leaving everything behind And wondering what lies ahead.

The day you possess everything Pray to have nothing.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS I tried to live up to the expectations of others But every time I thought I had, They changed their qualifications.

How can I change who I am For something I cannot be?

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Whether your hair is blond, red, brown, or black, Whether your eyes are blue, green, or brown, Whether your skin is white, mocha, brown, black, red, or yellow, The earth envy’s your beauty.

Now if only your heart would live up to its worship, The flowers would set their home in you.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Souls are mirrors.

If the light you reflect is dim You attract those who are also dim.

If your mirror’s light is radiant.

Luminous souls will find you.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Music is a gift to our ears, and soul.

In the night I hear music and the silence between the notes, And that silence becomes these words.

I hear music that emanates from another world And my heart is carried away with its melody.

Do you feel the rapture of music in the night?

If not, my friend, I must tell you, The music never stops, you just quit listening.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Demons are clawing and tearing at your soul.

They may appear as friends, Stepping out of the shadows, bringing dark ways.

Your salvation is to step into the light.

Where demons, shadows, and darkness melt away.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS I work so that others will achieve more.

I sacrifice so that others will out do me.

Perhaps once they scale to the top of the mountain They will come back and help me climb there too.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Hopefully, you realize you are just passing through here.

This is not your home, and nothing here belongs to you.

Life and death are old friends playing tug-of-war with you, And we all know the outcome to that game.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS Accept all the love that people are willing to give.

The day will come when the rain will not fall And the flowers will wilt and die in the drought.

On that day others will need the love stored in your heart.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS When I began this journey towards peace I foolishly thought that the path would be short.

Now I have realized that changing the world Is a road that is never ending.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS As you quietly weep, I know that I love you too much to let you fall.

I must carry you in my arms Until you can walk on your own.

Only then will my soul be at peace.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS My teacher told me not to waste my time On those who will not listen.

We are surrounded by deaf ears, But when you find one who truly hears Fill them with song.

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THE MEDICINE OF WORDS There is nothing left to worry over, To say, or to write about.

I have worried enough, said enough, and written too much.

Only now does my heart begin to speak.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS About the author – Dr. Gregory T. Lawton is an author of many books, most of them in the area of health science, but also, in the genre of Asian martial arts, philosophy, spirituality, poetry, and prose. Dr. Lawton is a passionate award-winning artist and photographer who finds his artistic and creative inspiration in nature, and who frequently attributes the source of his images and writing to the 19th century Persian Prophet, Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Baha’i Faith, and the 13th century Persian poet and Sufi Mystic Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī. Dr. Lawton has been a member of the Baha’i Faith since 1970 and embraces the Faith’s principles related to the promotion of world unity and peace.

THE MEDICINE OF WORDS

The Medicine of Words, Copyright 2021 Dr. Gregory T. Lawton All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written permission from Gregory T. Lawton, Muyblue Productions, 2040 Raybrook Street SE, Suite 104, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546.