I begin to search
the empty rooms of my memories.
Nothing but dust and decaying veils,
crumbling do I find.
A thought rises and dies,
a silent agony.
Rooms dimly lit, where no happiness rests.
I reach for words,
that simply fall away.
I stretch for meanings,
that elude my tender touch.
Without the light,
I am fading.
Without the glitter of so sweet sounds,
my ears hear nothing but a crushing silence.
I must find a way,
through these rooms of soundless voids.
Until finally I may rest my straining eyes
from peering into the dark.
That I may chance upon an unspoiled memory,
and light the candles of my world.
So I may wonder again at the child’s innocence,
And wash my face in wet spring rains.
That I may sing those songs that make men smile,
and smell the gentle fragrance of innocence.
I must make this promise to myself.
To light this path,
and open every dark and forbidding space.
I will share my sight
So all may see.
For everyone has stumbled,
And everyone will fall, but begin again the rising.
Any strength we have,
We must lend.
We must liberate the compassion within us
to every parched and starving life..
From so many lessons learned,
We must edify.
And any sufferings found,
We must make effort to touch and comfort.
First we experience the injury
and then begin to heal.
We must choose the path
And follow it with certainty.
Remembering always,
as our breath rises and falls
All life exists.
So as fear and sorrow fall away
Joy and happiness rise,
We must drink in our breath
with a great passion for living.
Then quietly without attachment
let it go,
For in our breath
we live,
In our non-attachment
of the breath
We will transcend
our lives forever.
Bhante Kassapa
2 responses so far ↓
1 Estella Chavez // Oct 10, 2007 at 9:39 am
wow–you still got it in you–one of your best ones yet!
2 Tina Kyi // Oct 31, 2007 at 5:12 am
Dear Venerable Sir,
Thank you so much for this sublime poem!
Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu.
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