Years ago,
when I set my path
I had no clue where I’m headed.

I met a Tai Chi master;
he taught me The Way.
I didn’t quite get it,
but I enjoyed it all the same.
So I stayed.
Then he passed away.

Believing that I now know,
know where I’m going,
on the road to enlightenment,
I met a guru.
“Come,” he said,
“let me show you the light!”
So I followed.
v Years passed by,
and all I saw
were glimpses of his own light.
“Where is my light?”
I eventually asked.
“Why?” he replied,v “Isn’t mine sufficient?”
So I left.

On my way to enlightenment,
I met my own ego.
“Listen,” it said,
“you are already enlightened.”
“You need no gurus, no guides.”
“Now go teach others”
So I did.

Soon after I realized,
I had nothing of value to offer,
but my own ignorance.
So I stopped.

On my path to enlightenment,
I met a mysterious Queen.
She invited me to taste her leaf,
welcomed me to drink her vine,
so I did.
All of a sudden my heart opened.
It opened and I remembered.
I no longer had to speculate.
It was there all along.
I recalled my calling.

On my way to enlightenment
I realized:
there are no gurus but occasional guides;
there’s a trap called the ego;
there’s less of the mind,
and more of the heart.
The future is but a memory,
of a dream my soul once had.

And as to enlightenment,
yeah, I experienced that too.
One with the universe; a great bright light.
“Cool, but,”
I found myself asking,
“now what?”
I have learned that enlightenment
is less about the light I sought,
and more about the light I spread.

On the road to enlightenment,
I no longer aim at being illuminated,
I keep my flame burning bright.

Cary, NC, Aug 2, 2018
(c) 2017 Ronen Divon. All Rights Reserved.