Oasis

Woe to the abandoned child!

Pity the one left untouched,

Dismissed,

Uncared for.

Injustice befell you,

And your eyes have been averted.

You stare outwardly

Into the desolate wastes

Of a parched

And desert-like world.

What do you know

Of that place called Oasis?

Yet you have always stood

In an artesian pool

Where waters well up

From a deep and mysterious source.

Here you have stood,

Surrounded by a delicate border

Of leaf and moss

With high, overarching palms

Bending against the hot sun

To make a canopy

For your head.

But you have not felt

The shade of this sanctuary

Nor the soothing

Of the mud

That has caressed your feet.

Again, distracted

Your eyes reach out

To find engagement

In a dry and disconsolate world.

Living in the dunes

It is incapable of nurturing

Your deepest requirements.

Hot, shimmering mirages

From the outer world

Have caught you in a spell.

Forgetfully

You have dropped your drinking cup

At the edge

Of your inner wellspring.

Is it courageous

That you suffer thirst?

Or must someone else

Deliver a full cup

Before you may drink?

And when another does

Bring you beverage,

Why does it not

Quench your thirst?

And instead

Cause you frustration

Disappointment

And sorrow?

Must you also suffer

The exile of your

Mother And Father,

Who march in an unbroken lineage

That stretches across

A withered landscape

Of guilt,

Self-hatred,

And unfulfilled dreams?

You need not be chained

To this legacy.

Stop!

Take a deep breath,

And remember.

Return!

To where you have always stood.

Awaken!

And move your toes

In the same mud

That sprouts the lotus.

Notice the pollywogs

That dart between your legs.

Listen to the frog’s

Ancient murmur

Calling you home.

Gather and eat

The ripe dates

That surround you

And bring sweetness

To your life.

Grasp and plunge

The cup of inquiry

Into the cool waters

Of your own presence.

Lift the cup to your parched lips

And take a drink.

As you gaze into the shimmering eyes

Of your own reflection,

Find the courage to dive deep

Into the wellspring of the Love

That never abandoned you.