In birth, lay the gift. If it was of birth, then so also of death.
Longing to be grasped by waiting arms, Again birth, and so, death again.
Which gave freedom to the soul; To live once more or die once more,
For in this life, as surely also after death, There must be a little of heaven and a little of hell.
Take me where the wishes went, Away through the burning deep,
Eclipsed I sink in icy fire, Abandoned, fingers seek,
Real and ethereal both seem unreal, Yet, hope lives eternally,
Flame, burn not only for the divine, I am a mere human being, but flare a little for me.
As a star may I remain A spark that leads lesser souls,
Unmissed my presence will go, An absent dot upon the globe,
Neither heaven nor hell, In silent transience I may dwell,
Untempted on the gateway to paradise, Even these are lit by borrowed light.
Prayers have not far to go, Wish upon wish is buried silently.
Having believed in the invisible and unseen, I have shunned what I could see and believe.
All other miracles are becoming to the divine, Yet faith is a miracle inside me.
Time, spare me but a moment to hide, Let me believe in the illusion of flight.
As I look hard to recognize, A face that best serves as a disguise.
Weary of living up to a discerning world, Where even the mirror has judging eyes.
Hours to walk before I reach a milestone, Days before I know it is the right road.
Weeks to prepare for my journey. Months to find a steady foothold.
Years to tire of trudging on it, A lifetime before I can stop to rest. Births before it can come to an end.
If only I had been nudged some more, All of me could have walked away.
Little of me was left by the shore, Like grains of sand the tide forgot to drag away.
The stars came out to shine as always, Secure of their place in the sky above.
More fortunate they proved to be than I, For they glowed at least at every nightfall.
All form is but transient, Neither I nor my footprints will remain.
But as an ageless soul I will come to reclaim, The part of me I lost that day.
Strange, how the earth rotates like a ball, Stranger, how we don’t fall off.
Strange, how we are never sure if heaven exists, Stranger, if it exists, we are sure it is upwards.
Strange, that we expect all good deeds to be rewarded, Stranger, that we expect our misdeeds to be ignored.
Strange, that we believe ourselves to be special, Stranger, that we crave that confirmation from others.
Strange, that love can be a powerful emotion, Stranger, that we expect it to be overpowering in others.
Strange, that we expect the world to bow before wealth, Stranger, that the world bows.
Strange, that life brings sudden windfalls, Stranger, that we take full credit for them.
Strange, that life brings sudden setbacks, Stranger, that we then curse our luck.
Strange, this concept of an unseen hell, Stranger, that we don’t recognize it around.
Strange, we are not sure if there is a soul, Stranger, that we always pray for the souls of others.
Strange, that we believe in the existence of God, Stranger, that when He has come we have not known His worth.
I rummage past the corridors of time, Glancing at the silent darkness behind, Likes waves toss pebbles on the sand, Thoughts toss up smiles I smiled, tears I cried, Parts of me lie, unclaimed, adrift, Now on a path, bereft of bridges.
As I let go of a past, I never held, Feet carry me, relentlessly ahead. As always deaf to my soul’s voice, Muted now, by destiny’s strides.
Looking on, I must pretend to know this life, Looking back, was I ever even really mine?.
For all you know, heaven is on earth. Our exaggerated concept of it defies recognition. For all you know, no devil tempts us, Our mind constructs evil of its own.
For all you know, love is not an illusion, Our ego is too big to bow to its demands.
For all you know beauty is not shallow, Our eyes cannot accept it in others.
For all you know death will not snatch us away, Our lives will still return.
Secret doors shall open some day, Clouds will bear my weight.
Earth will not echo my farewell, It dare not rest on its way.
Voices may still call out my name, I shall have forgotten the same,
Nameless I will be the one I always was, Names speak of a life that never was.
I belong a little to all my dreams, Dreams don’t belong to me.
Lilting, disjointed images, Illusions though they may be.
They nudge my sleeping soul, And show me worlds I yearn to see,
Each step I take would have been leaden, Had there been ground beneath my feet.
The stars came down, again tonight, Or did I soar above?
The moon shower washed away the years, Of knowing the ways of the universe.
A voice within still counts the twinkling lights, In secret rebellion, it refuses to grow.
The stars came down, again tonight, To tell me, I can still soar above.
I can become the person; I always wanted to be, I can live outside my dreams.
I can re-arrange the stars planning my destiny, I can be pulled by the chord tugging at my heartstrings.
I can run after the rainbow enticing me,
I can sink into the happiness welling in me.
I can sing without a voice.
I can walk barefoot to paradise.
No wish to live forever, A wish to silently go.
No wish to be remembered, A wish for loved ones, to blossom alone.
No wish to see pining arms, A wish for them to grow strong.
No wish to hear searching footsteps, A wish to see them forge ahead.
No wish to tear them apart with pain, A wish for their togetherness.
No wish to disrupt their scheme of things, A wish for their success.
No wish to leave a treasure trove, A wish to have shared it over the years.
No wish to haunt their memory ever after, A wish to reunite with their souls.
Happy smiles that aren’t captured, Kind feelings that cannot be measured.
Special thoughts that cannot be stored, Immense love that will not be stopped.
Soothing words that cannot be weighed, Raging desires that do not get swayed.
Warm wishes that cannot be swept, Great hope that does not ebb.
Cherished moments that are never forgotten, Silent promises that need never be spoken.
These are the incomparable gifts of life, Little joys that have no price.
Grey flecks mingled, By the riverside, And along with them, Life flowed.
Voices now silenced, By the roaring current, Love, now unable, To find a way backwards.
Lost to that turbulent tide, Life flowed.
On toward a deeper calm, Having returned all debts to earth, Bequeathed by fire, born to dust, As ashes now, life flowed.
The virtual reality of the star is a stone,
The virtual reality of the sky is empty space,
The virtual reality of the moon is a cratered orb,
The virtual reality of the sun is scorching fire,
The virtual reality of life is the eventual end,
The virtual reality of the human mind is a denial to accept truth from the elements.
The colours of the night mock my solitude, Whispers in the wind, beckon to a voice lost to me,
The still of the night torments my dreams, A ticking clock, but the reminder of a heartbeat,
The wilderness of the night tears into me, A hooting owl cries, for the tears I am unable to weep,
The endless night succeeds in emptying me, So that I can rise to the new dawn on stronger feet.
An aimless spirit, Beyond heat, thirst and fatigue,
Stopped in the arid desert, Upon seeing a familiar sight of greenery.
The apparition for a moment faltered, Then left this symbol of life undisturbed.
It thought; better to wander past this visage, Than to believe in another mirage.
Someone lies awake inside me, Someone remembers my dreams.
Someone falls with fear, And shaking, returns to awaken, The sleeping form I call me.
Room I’ve walked through, now stripped bare, The belongings I cared for, given away. Objects I cherished now stashed beneath, In a case I could not take away.
Days, nights and years were frozen, Hung in a single photo frame, A fading reflection that was all, It took my place, as a face upon the wall.
To each their own self to depend on, And the use of their own abilities.
To each their own concept of faith, And their own version of loyalty.
To each their own definition of love, And their own little sacrifice.
To each their own God to answer, And their own philosophy of truth.
To each their own perception of life, And their own reason to live.
To each their own path to follow, Albeit lost in the crowds.
Is there a sky above the sky, With the castles we build belonging to heaven?
Is there a chorus of angels singing, Drowning the sound of out lesser existence?
Is our fear of death unfounded, When such pleasures are in store?
Is there more belief in the unseen world, Than the world that lies before us?
Or is the truth before our eyes, As transparent as paradise?
Why mistake the voice of God, as intuition? Why call it a sixth sense?
Why imagine a third eye upon a person?
Why explain it as superhuman strength?
Why time and again seek proof by a miracle? Why hold a candle to look at the sun?
Why wallow in loneliness?
Why not see, we are never alone, even within us?
I’ll see you in uncharted waters, Afloat on a lotus, light as a butterfly.
We’ll wonder at the lives we left behind, Just as we do now about the moon and sky.
Although we parted as if we would never meet, When we meet it will be as if we never parted.
There was nothing gained that could not be lost, What amiss but a couple of old reflections.
If I found you in form, I’ll find you in spirit, Forever you, forever I, within ageless souls.