The Journey of Life

THE JOURNEY OF LIFE

When we are young

The world we see

So large, infinite

In wonderment

On what to be

Joy and pain

And full of questioning

When with this new world

We come, to a reckoning

Everyone works together

Hand in hand

And in our mind

From land to land

A little older

We doth grow

And a little more

We doth know

The world, still

A place of wonder

Into more learning

Do we blunder

We begin to see

That not all around

Is as perfect

And sound

And suffering and pain

Can be found

And yet, we plod around

With awe

Still mostly

Find little to flaw

And yet older again

Ourselves we find

And knowledge increases

In kind

The flaws are many

The world we know

In some respect

Is not as perfect

As we did expect

The pain and inhumanity

Becomes more clear

And those we love

We draw more near

And for the future

We begin to fear

Determined we become

To make a change

And the possible options

Are many in range

It is at this time

And this is strange

That from our loved ones

We grow, somewhat estranged

We will not

The mistakes repeat

Our determination, concrete

Nothing impossible, no feat

And then again

Older we become

Working through life

On our own

And turning our attention

To survival and life

Taking a husband or wife

And starting a family

Slipping to the back

Our desired intention

The mistakes of

Generations before

Are not as much in focus

As they were before

We begin to change

In one aspect

For those before us

A new found respect

We look at our young

And see our past

Hoping for them

There innocence

Will long last

“Oh why can’t we deviate

From the past”

Tis hard to fathom, alas

Make the changes

That will give them hope

But time draws to a close

And our end comes fast

We work hard to pass on

The learning we’ve gained

From tests overcome

Hoping these mistakes

Will not repeat

And in some great feat

The new ones will learn

And a step closer to hope

They will earn

The need to pass it on, doth burn

Then a time comes

When we step back

And watch and hope

As our little ones cope

And see life in a new scope

Reflecting and clinging to

Life’s hope

Connecting one generation

To the other

Mother, father, son and daughter

Then the day comes

When our children

Have little ones

Of their own

And they create

A new definition

Of home

We begin to see time

With new meaning

Truly endless

Or at least seeming

And it won’t be long

Before they only see us

When they are dreaming

As these years, have come and gone

The more together

Do we all belong

There is clearly a future

So bright and new

Though only

Through our minds eye

This world

Can now be viewed

I roll up my sleeves

And do what I can

For now is the time

When I can focus

On the Plan

The joy and wonder

That came

When I was so small

Is no longer so hard

To recall

The magic that surrounds

Knows no bounds

We have but

To open our eyes

And a clear path

We can spy

One hard, to deny

We no longer

For ourselves fear

Nor for those

We draw near

For each and every soul

To us is dear

And oneness

Is blatantly clear

I look forward

To this next stage of life

Of new tests and challenges

I am certain

Many, rife

But such is life

I do not fear the end

I fear to His will

I will not bend

A life of mistakes

To learn from and mend

A message to the future

I wish to send

…..do not forget

And do not regret

We worked hard

Step by step

So as to bring into being

A future that

Has much meaning

Spiritual, no longer demeaning

Of my future

Tis not yet written

But diving into it

With life’s joys, I am smitten

And in reality

I do not care

For my love for all

Is what I am aware

-Shiidon, June 2010

This poem has taken a week to float to the surface. I think of how it was to live in a world of perfection, or seemingly so. Then, while living in Bangladesh, seeing suffering, true and severe suffering for the first time. It opened my eyes to much in the world. Then the changes that come as we get older and the things that take up our time and attention. Finally I write from that place where I find myself now. I know that in the future there will be a new perspective for me to reflect on, but for now this is the reality that I find myself in. I believe that there is much suffering now in the world. I also believe that we are building, generation by generation, a world that will be unlike any of us can imagine. One that has removed the suffering that we impose on each other and ourselves knowingly. The golden age of mankind, if you will. I am certain that it will come to pass, though we have much to learn from before we reach that time.