If I could travel back
to that moment
when I accepted that seductor’s invitation
and instead simply say,
“No thank you,”
saving me a world of hurt…
If I could go back
to that dinner in Africa
and not eat that amoeba
that stayed in my belly,
stealing my strength for decades…
If I could stop that car
from killing my sister,
or take my mother to the hospital sooner
so the doctor could fight
the pneumonia in time…
Would I?
Of course I can revise my past actions in any now,
but what if I could also change the outcomes?
Mind swoons with the notion:
Maybe life would be lighter, easier.
I would be steadier, healthier,
less plagued by stress and fear.
But then…
I may not have met the Friend.
Inside, I ask…what is the truth?
The answer comes in a shower of love:
All the past is crucial,
none of it important.
It is but an eye blink
in a lifetime of seeing.
It is a firefly’s flash
among all the stars in the Milky Way.
It is a dew drop
on an orchid petal in a rainforest.
So instead of time-traveling back,
I journey inward now,
where all disappears
into the golden hue of You.
Thank you Leslie, this brings tears to my eyes. I have so many ‘regrets’ of past actions that pop up in my mind. I can see my mind spending precious energy wrestling with the ‘what ifs’ rather than releasing and going within to see a bigger picture. It’s a feat to realise that these so called ‘regrets’ of the mind are blessings to the soul as the teachiings they bring help us to springboard within. I have so much releasing to do, and too often identify with the tussle my mind entertains, but it’s inspiring to read this poem and know that all this stress and anguish is and will be but ‘a firefly’s flash among all the stars in the Milky Way’. Thank you!
Thank you, Chloe, so beautifully said. It is a relief to come to know that all is perfect. 🙂
Thank you!!
Love
D
Incredibly moving and beautiful, Leslie. Your words are so elevated and filled with the Divine Sound Current. Love, Monica
Thank you, Monica, it is definitely the Shabda moving through, and may I say you are seeing yourself! XO
Simply exquisite Lesley. You moved me to tears yet again ….and I’m grateful for it : )
Thank you, Colleen, I am happy for your tears. I too am always grateful when they come.
The truth in this so beautiful, thank you Lesley
So true, Sherri, the truth is always stunningly beautiful. I’m happy this spoke to you in that way. Thank you!
This is so touching and revealing. The imagery and words ever so powerful. Meeting the friend makes it all so worthwhile doesn’t it?
Thank you for the reminder to remember. Meeting the Friend. All else pales in comparison. Remember.
As you know, I am a sucker for beautiful imagery, and you nailed it again here. Your similes are so perfect — a dew drop on an orchid in a rain forest! How perfect is that!
Your poetry is always thoughtful and penetrating, but it is also unique and creative. I so much appreciate your sharing it with all of us!
Hi Lesley. Thanks kindly for the profound poetry. The True Teacher says that, eons ago, we wanted to experience desires…so we left our perfect Home and descended on the “desire ray”. Wow. All of our conscious contact with this world is a result of that “itch” we had long ago. All causes and effects emerged from that primal itch which propelled us into subtle, then gross, then dense matter. Here we are!! Now, we wish to return to the perfect and desireless realm from which we initially had that…that…that…itch!! The True Teacher has reached into the deep ocean of illusion and has retrieved a diamond…that diamond is you! Much love.
Beautifully said, Al. That profound story you told in so few words is our whole history and destiny too. The farther along the path we go the more stunning the system becomes, because we can SEE it. And you, Al, are such a sparkly diamond, for all to see. Thank you!
Thanks, Lesley! Yes, the spark is bright and resonant if I can follow my spiritual disciplines. If I slip into indolence, that spark gets buried in the tyranny of mind, matter and egotism…the deep sleep state. Your poetry is helping many to get a broader view of our real purpose here. Thanks!