Good Guides

Good guides

are not to be confused 

with ‘Good Guys’ 

or with ‘God Guides.’

 

Good guides point

in various ways,

to various ways.

They don’t dictate,

they don’t direct.

 

Good guides welcome, 

they pause, 

they stop, 

they wait.

 

Good guides don’t pressure, don’t push,

nor do they pull.

Good guides don’t carry others,

nor others’ carry-ons.

Good guides may lead ahead,

but not too far ahead.

They’d rather lead alongside

those who are being guided.

 

Good guides don’t walk too fast.

Good guides don’t talk too much.

 

Good guides don’t preach, 

nor do they proselytize.

They observe, they listen, 

they try to understand.

They respond as best they can.

 

Good guides apply, practice, show, 

may sometimes tell.

They teach whatever they have learned, 

from guidebooks,

from the path,

from their past,

from their fellow friendly faithful guides,

not from false, fake guides,

not from fabricated lies.

 

May we be

guided skillfully, wisely

by good guides.

 

May we be

and serve as skillful, wise

good guides.

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