by Thich Nhat Hanh

I hold my face between my hands
no I am not crying

I hold my face between my hands
to keep my loneliness warm
two hands protecting
two hands nourishing
two hands to prevent

my soul from leaving me
in anger

The poem first recited by Thich Nhat Hanh in Vietnamese and then by Krista in English during the program originally appeared in Zen Poems and was later republished in Call Me by My True Name, a collection of Thich Nhat Hanh's poems. Reprinted with permission by Parallax Press.