look at yourself

In some ways, it isn\u27t at all natural to care for others--we all have a certain sense of self-preservation, and a certain amount of self-love is necessary to having a healthy mind and spirit. Given that, and the idea that we cannot, try as we might, ever access the unfiltered contents of another\u27s mind, our means of understanding the world around us hinges on our ability to understand ourselves. This poem is a proposition (a relatively undeveloped one, if we\u27re honest), just trying to find a means of understanding and caring for the world around us while accounting for self-love, what Hass called life\u27s violent, automatic life\u27s companion. Looking at yourself as you might look at another might just help us reconcile the infinite chasm between what is perceived and what is most true