Change Comes Without Force

The world’s naturally sacred
—a holy cup.  Its way is blessed.
To sip its yield is best.
The world resists the shove;
its push-back is hard on meddlers
foolish enough to thrust their fists
into its cogs.  It can’t be grasped.
Change comes without force in any case.
It can’t be stopped
……………..— —it goes from
down to up, from cold to hot,
from weak to strong, to sick or not,
from first to last, ahead, behind,
whichever way it’s so inclined.
The wise find their path between extremes.
Failures from excess; judgment for the judged.
The dizzy ride the wheel’s rim.
The centered, at its hub,
calmly watch the dizzy spin.

Lao Tzu
from Adaptations of the Tao Te Chingby R.Bob