The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn't interest me
What you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
And if you dare to dream of
Meeting your hearts desire.

It doesn't interest me
How old you are.
I want to know if you will risk
Looking like a fool for love, for
Your dream, for the adventure
Of being alive.

It doesn't interest me
What planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know
If you have touched the center of your own
Sorrow,
If you have been opened
By lifes betrayals;
Or if you have become
Shriveled and closed
From fear of further pain!

I want to know if you can sit with pain -
Mine or your own -
Without moving to hide it or
Fade it or
Fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy -
Mine or your own -
If you can dance with wildness
And let ecstasy fill to the tips
Of your fingers and toes
Without cautioning us to be careful,
Realistic,
Or to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me
If the story you are telling me is true.
I want to know
If you can disappoint another to be true to
Yourself:
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal,
And not betray your own soul.

It doesnt interest me
Who you know or how you came to be here.
I want to know
If you will stand in the center of the
fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me
Where or what or with whom you have
Studied.
I want to know
What sustains you from within
When all else falls away.
I want to know
If you can be alone with yourself; and if you truly
Love the company you keep
In the empty moments.