~The poet uses the butterfly net of language to catch fleeting images in mid-flight~

Sunday, April 24, 2011

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.


16 comments:

  1. Again your words touch me deeply. The words you have chosen with craft and care say it all. I really love this poem - it reminded me of Ripple (Grateful Dead song) too.

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  2. deep thoughts makes nice write! my potluck.. http://fiveloaf.wordpress.com/2010/02/13/a-chinese-love-story/

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  3. The last stanza leaves me with hope of awakening, stretching and finding oneself immersed in love ... if only the courage is summoned to take the first step!

    Very nice, Tiger ~~ full of depth!

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  4. So beautiful and sad. The holding on or seeing things in a negative way and having the courage to change your view and allow love in is a most difficult task.

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  5. i really like the challenge or call to return and i hope for this persons sake they head that call...

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  6. Wow... such a powerfully felt depth here... strong in its nature, yet a tender understanding of the anguish from where we come.

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  7. Wonderful use of metaphor. I really like the way you've carried the theme throughout the poem. Very inspiring.

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  8. no words left...
    you Sir are too good!
    The way you weave nature into your poetry..
    i can visualize the distress of the protoganist and the balm that nature is proffering
    bravo!

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  9. Somewhere inside is our oasis that we need to find again and again in the desert times

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  10. mud is nice between the toes. and so is the wet sand at water's edge.

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  11. Really beautiful. Thank you for sharing this

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  12. Tiger I perceive this oasis as my own body and the oversight that we have all. To me all we need is to look within. We can love and quench our own thirst especially during the driest of times.

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  13. Beautiful. Just beautiful. Struck a chord in me as it would with any person who has empathy and insight or has had a similar experience.

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  14. Utterly magnificent, I will be dining upon your words for a long while...

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  15. keep writing, keep sharing.

    beautiful talent.

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