poetry – Page 14 – The Narrow Path

Bon Voyage Young Pascal!

Good luck on your journey!

The sea is calm.

But not your mind.

Anticipation gleaming from your eyes.

Butterflies fluttering in your stomach.

What wonders lie ahead?

What dangers will you have to overcome?

True strength comes from adversity.

True love from pain.

Keep going.

Even if you drown in the deep darkness of the sea.

You will have lived.

Lived with every breath.

Every beat of your heart.

With risk, comes reward.

With letting go, comes freedom.

Bon Voyage Young Pascal.

Into the great unknown.

Rock Bottom.

Lungs exhausted.

I’m barely breathing.

Pain deep in my bones.

Heart aching with loneliness.

Stomach twisted into origami.

It’s the coldest at the bottom.

Harsh winds.

Thunderous nights.

Misery in every moment.

All I want is to feel the cool breeze on a warm spring day.

To smile deeply.

To laugh.

Feel joy once more.

“Don’t worry!” my mind tells me.

You have survived all that has come so far.

Darkness will become light.

Thanks to impermanence.

We will laugh, smile, and feel joy once more.

Money, Followers, & Celebrity.

Money, followers, and celebrity.

The new American dream.

How many followers do you need to be content?

How many Tesla’s will bring long-lasting joy?

Once I get 100K followers and I’ll be content.

Ten million dollars a year would be perfect.

20 million.

50 million.

Naw 100 billion.

You’re hooked.

Addicted to more.

Never satisfied.

How will you ever be free?

No amount of money.

Materials or followers.

Will bring endless happiness.

Define enough.

And you’ll find that you already have plenty of it.

Black Hole.

A black hole appears.

Gravity stronger than a billion suns.

Pulling me slowly into its endless abyss.

Will I be sucked into the darkness?

My mission.

My purpose.

My vision.

Is to alleviate suffering in this world.

Will I fulfill this life’s mission?

The black hole of distraction.

It’s gravity stronger than a billion stars.

Addicted to scrolling.

Scrolling through the darkness of social media.

There are no passions found in the black hole.

Only distraction.

No purpose or meaning.

Countless missions left incomplete.

Social media & distractions are not all meaningless blackholes. But we must be careful that we do not get sucked into their gravitational pull. Set boundaries. Know the signs of addiction. Use mindfully.

Fear, Worry, & Doubt.

Fear.

Worry.

Doubt.

My three familiar friends.

Keeping me from my passions.

My mission & purpose.

Goodbye, my old friends.

Today, I will let you go.

For I only have one life and I intend to live it.

I hear a knock on my door!

Three new friends have arrived.

Love.

Trust.

Faith.

They even brought gifts.

Love brought joy.

Trust brought excitement.

Faith brought freedom.

Thank you, my new friends.

I look forward to our new journey together.

Darkness.

The darkness surrounds me.

Fear consuming every thought.

Anger pulsating through every cell.

Hatred burning into my soul.

Greed filling up my mind.

Do I resist the darkness?

Do I suppress these dark emotions?

No.

I will accept the darkness.

I will honor the greed, anger, hatred, and fear inside me as part of who I am.

But I vow to shine light into the darkness of my soul.

The light of love.

The light of kindness.

The light of compassion.

The light of forgiveness.

I will show the darkness another way.

Abandon Ship!

Unexpected storms.

Unbearable winds.

Unavoidable destruction.

Your ship is broken.

Years of neglect.

Storms breaking it piece by piece.

Abandon your ship.

Let go and go into the great unknown.

Dive deep into the darkness of the sea.

The water is coldest at the bottom.

Unbearable pressure.

Suffocating pain.

Keep going.

As the storm passes, you will see a light.

Follow it.

Do not get accustomed to the darkness.

Do not wish for your old ship to rise from the depths.

Through the pain, we can grow.

Through the suffering, we can heal.

As you reach the surface you smile.

New life has been given.

Gratitude shining from the sun.

As you wash ashore.

You’re full of joy.

Curious about this new island.

Excited about new adventures.

New beginnings have been given.

New experiences to enjoy.

Fighting for Peace.

Fighting for peace.

Shaming for love.

Anger spilling into the streets.

Not an ounce of compassion.

How will they ever know peace if all we show them is violence?

We must show them another way.

The way of peace.

Our life is our message.

The message of peace.

The message of love.

The message of compassion.

Go to the streets.

Go to them in peace.

With love.

With compassion.

Anger can’t stomp out anger.

Only love can.

Violence won’t stop violence.

Only peace can.

Apathy won’t end apathy.

Only compassion can.

Lost at Sea.

A ship is lost in the treacherous open sea. The crew grows more impatient each day; the Captain is worried about a potential mutiny. No land in sight.

Will this be the end?

My crew goes weary.

Mumbling & arguing with each other.

Constantly chattering.

The smell of mutiny in the air.

I observe them from my private charters.

One moment they are angry.

The next they are sad.

Anxious.

Depressed.

Fearful.

Will we ever see land again?

A large wave swells up from the depths of the ocean.

Panic.

HOLD ON!!!!!

The ship creaks and moans.

We survive.

A month goes by.

Food short on supply.

Crew sick and diseased.

Birds of prey circle above us.

The end is near.

Until one day I see darkness on the horizon.

LAND!!

We are safe.

Joy & tears flow into the sea.

My crew dances under the moonlight.

No wave can sink me.

No storm will worry me.

I won’t break to my crew’s demands.

For I am the Captain.

I am not my thoughts. I am not my emotions. I am the observer. The Captain of my body & mind. I will honor these thoughts & emotions as impermanent. I will not sink into the darkness.

Gratitude.

I breathe in.

I smile.

How wonderful it is to be alive!

Joy pulsates through my body.

A smile lights across my face.

My heart beats with compassion.

My lungs full of gratitude.

Grateful for pain.

Heartbreak.

My breath.

And Joy.

Grateful to be alive.

I will smile.

I will laugh.

I will dance.

For life is impermanent.

Thank you life.

Thank you impermanence.

Thank you.