Everything will fade,
What you hold dear,
What you thought yours,
What generates pride.

Everything will pass,
The reasons for your joy,
The cause of your sorrow,
The illusion of self.

A brief interlude of existence,
A drop in infinity,
A fleeting moment of meaning,
A defiant blip in nothingness.

Enjoy the ride,
Cherish the now,
Shed your fears,
Do not laments pour.

Everything will subside,
Then spring forth anew.
Everything will end,
Then start in new guise.

Said the tall new candle
To the gnarled old one
That was a fraction of its size:
"I am pristine and slender,
As you are charred and gnarled.
White is my skin with
No blemishes and no black marks.
I pity you for much longer
Than you shall I burn."

"I am all that you say,
Young pristine candle.
Long may you retain
Your good looks.
But there is one thing,
This candle would like to impart:  
I shine bright and without fear,
Till I am candle no more
And true flame have become."

I stay awake through the night
Listening to the incessant rain.
Might as well turn on the light.

Time for a trip down memory lane
All to the rain’s beat
You’ve been there, need I explain?

Down this path, I stroll with weary feet
I know the memories waiting to make me cry
Must I keep going down this street?

I want to bid the past good-bye
Rise to an unfathomed height
Reach for the blue sky

But that’s not happening, right?
I stay awake through the night.

Stop! Step through the door
And wear them new shoes.
You won’t need a hat any more,
But oh yes, love the hair!

You will need to be strong
While appearing dainty and pretty.
You will learn to disarm egos
With just a genuine smile.

Open your heart and share
With genuine concern.
It’s not who shouts the loudest
But who listens with empathy.

Well done, these clothes
Match the shoes so well.
Now let’s see you navigate
With them new shoes.

You will stumble as we have
But you are one of us now,
So stand strong and proud,
Daughter, sister, friend.

You are so quiet tonight.
Your thoughts busily chatter away.
It’s what they do best,
When they are not nagging.
They will not stop any time soon.
You grow weary of the endless tirades.
Would they notice if you stepped out?

Outside stands a fountain that has dried up.
The nearly-full moon watches serenely.
It seems we are all waiting for something.
What I wonder?
“The source eternal,” answers the fountain,
“To be made whole,” adds the moon.
And what am I waiting for?

I turn to step back in.
“Stay with us, why the hurry to join your unruly companions?”
Why indeed?
After a while, I tiptoe in.
They are dozing off but thankfully are not roused.
They will be back tomorrow.
“The light of truth,” I mutter under my breath.

I dreamt I was a tree
Waking up in spring time.
At first, I struggled to move,
To speak, and even to scream.
But the bark, my skin, held tight.
So many things cannot be said!

In desperation, I looked around
Then saw another tree nearby.
It stretched out towards the sky
Upholding its branches with grace,
Upturned in peace and serenity.
Some things have to be seen to be understood.

It looked at me with kindness and compassion,
And a certain sadness
From memories past.
Then, it closed its eyes with a laconic smile
And bid me do the same.
Some things do not need to be said to be understood.

I buried deep into the ground
And felt the nourishment drawing in.
I reached out towards the sky
And basked in the life-giving sun.
A smile arose from a shared bond.
Some things have to be felt to be understood.

Two trees stood side by side,
In silence. Nothing was said.
At that instant, the wind blew and their leaves swirled together in the air.
Some things are innate
And defy any comprehension,
Safe perhaps from silent inner understanding.

I waited for the universe to walk by
All my senses awakened in anticipation.

I saw a flame of great beauty
And it peered into my heart and soul.

It lifted me and brought me to the edge of all known things
in front of a giant canvas of stars.

I stayed a while transfixed and lost for words,
and gave thanks for this wondrous sight.

A mystic was also there and told me to be still.
I realised that I was at the end of Time.

After a while, I faced a dark orb pulsating with light;
It asked me to reveal everything inside of me.

I knew the orb could read through me,
But still wanted me to open up.

I peeled layer after layer, feeling lighter and lighter
Until I lay down to rest.

As I breathed, I dissolved into a flurry of white butterflies
That fluttered around joyfully.