A Symphony

A Symphony

I.
I rise early
to collect the colors of the dawn
In the quiet of my sitting room
curled in the corner of my overstuffed couch
I sip soothing herbal tea
when I sense the presence of beauty given life

Eyes closed
the darkness seems deeper
after the blending of light
that streams through the windows

I listen to echoes of quiet

then at that point of utter silence
the symphony
of Swan Lake begins
and the sound grows

first the horns resound, announcing the waking of the world
while violins provide the flowing movement of the wind
the piano then joins in, adding depth and vision
I drift easily to another world

where movement is organized
by dancing wisps of multicolored light
entering on the strings of a harp
as the piano takes the lead

and the dance begins

II.
I am brought to the darkness
of the beginning of time
a child standing on a vast plain
in total inner harmony

alone
waiting, slowly circling
searching the sky
for the first sign of sunrise

A swirling dance begins to engulf me
and the air sparkles as the sky is filled
with this festival of lights

Time stands still
as I behold the first rays
rise above the horizon

The morning mist evaporates
your warm rays clear the air
as the song of that first morning
drifts through me
sweet notes lingering in my ear

I see the earth
for the first time
clean and new

Lush green foliage reaches
toward the clear azure sky

The world is awakening

III.
As my sight expands to the distance
I glimpse movement around me
There are others such as I in this world

I wonder how long we spent
in the darkness together
unknown to each other

An empty space inside of me is filled
as I realize
I was never really alone

Were we always together?
or does the light make it so?
Am I their reflection, or they mine?

and darkness is conquered
the light reigns supreme

IV.
A crash of waves on the rocks
brings me back to my sitting room

Eternal moments have no span in time

Swan Lake still plays
as the height of the sun changes
angling beams of warm sunlight into the room
my sanctuary of serenity

A silent pause in the music is followed
by a crescendo of the deepest chords

carrying me to the tunnels of night

V.
beast
from a region where the darkness
has never known the light of dawn

making its first trip through the underground
searching for the natural light of day
the beauty of life imagined in higher worlds
beyond bestial instinct and base emotion

I journey with him through endless tunnels
a musty scent of close-packed earth
invades my nostrils

As we pass a burning torch
his eyes squint at the intensity
How will he bear the brightness
the sun must hold?

Yet he chose, after endless preponderance
to risk blindness for one glimpse of this light
the heat of fire for its touch upon his skin
imprisonment for the warmth of its embrace

risk even death
if for but one moment in time
he might feel this light permeating his being
How has he lived without it for so long?

VI.
Up and up
we ascend stone stairways
climbing steadily to the surface of the earth

the tunnels become rounded
when we reach the rusty metal of old sewers
that once housed the waste of humanity

How has he lived…?
entombed within the earth
forgotten, useless
searching for the meaning of existence
a reason to be

Whispers of the beauty above echo at times
through these tunnels of despair
enough to keep a small spark of hope burning

Rusty chips from old steel ladders
wedge themselves under his claws
yet still he moves upward

I will myself onward

VII.
Rising yet another level
the air becomes a gentle breeze
the spark of hope
a small flame of faith

Crossing a bridge
we reach a windy tunnel
the steady flowing stream of air
dries the sweat-soaked fur on his body

we follow its sweet scent to find
the opening, the source
the beginning and the end of this journey
beyond time

VIII.
We emerge before the break of dawn
within a forest glade

He is awed by the soft light of the moon
the twinkling stars in a sea of oceanic sky
the gentle movement of clean, sweet air
that flattens the fur against his body

in stillness, he absorbs
what before he never knew existed
then slowly
the woods come alive
with the sounds of animals rising

his fears are soothed
by the nature of what he perceives to be

IX.
A rabbit sits in the underbrush
in silent observation
The song of the birds is a haunting melody
A kitten pounces on a drifting leaf

A fawn stands just beyond the glade
alert yet perfectly at ease
graceful even in stillness
large, clear, innocent eyes watching us
listening intently
aware of the slightest fluctuation in the breeze
that glides along its body

Monkeys chatter
aware of a stranger in their midst
loose, limber, swinging from branch to branch
never losing the tempo
or missing their target
secure in the height of the trees

to the west
a squirrel scampers to the safety of her nest
distrustful
intimidated by our intrusion

the play of life continues

X.
In the east
the night sky turns into shades
of rose and blue
I think it must be the colors of love

a golden hue spreads amidst the rose
worth more than all the gold
held prisoner in the underworld
whose gleam lacks luster
now that the sun's is at hand

His head begins to spin with the sensations
when the full light dawns
peace filling his being
experiencing everything

a metamorphosis takes place
transcending bestial spirit
with consciousness

In this stillness, he raises his hands
to feel the first warmth of your rays
a tender warmth
his fear of burning was in vain

I think of the wasted years he spent in darkness
fearing yet longing
for this touch of cool fire
this transmuting flame that does not burn
this light beyond the extremes of hot and cold

XI.
Tears well to his eyes
to flush regret away
they turn to tears of joy
as the realization of his being dawns

I wish nothing more than to remain
at this point of being
this realm of perfect peace
forever

We have discovered the eternal now

We are eternity at play
the earth our playground
the animals our playmates

nature is friendlier above ground

We partake of a feast of fruit
found hanging on the trees
ripe, sweet, juicy
nature's gift to the hungry

Our journey completed, our hunger appeased
thirst quenched by fresh spring water
we find a sunny spot
among soft, tall grass
to stretch our weary bodies

Straining to stay awake
lest he wake to find this paradise a dream
we watch the sunlight
creating patterns of light
through the branches of the trees

and absorb the music of the breeze
as it plays with the leaves
lulling us into a dreamlike state

XII.
As in a dream, I open my senses
to hear flutes dancing on the breeze
I am back in my sitting room

I force myself to begin my daily ritual
As I stand in a hot shower
the pounding water washing tension from my body
Tchaikowsky plays again in my head

This time the Waltz of the Flowers
blooms in my inner ear

the steamy water
becomes the soft mist of a summer morning

the sun rises
seen through the eyes of an Indian maiden
kneeling atop a hill
performing the daily ritual
of welcoming her father, the sun

the horizon becomes hues
of pastel watercolors

ensconced in a warm glow of love
mother earth is embraced
by the sun's warming rays

the sun and I
sit in silent communion
as the village and surrounding land
begin to come awake

with the light
I catch visions of the plains
the sparkle of melting dew
clinging to the first blossoms of spring

the reflection of tepees
mirrored for the moment by both sun and moon
in the clear, still lake

Scenting pungent smoke
still rising form the men's lodge
I glimpse visions caught in trance

the message reads:
"If life starts with spirit
is lived with spirit
and dies
then that spirit may be born
full circle comes to all that is

the spiral of eternity thus begins
its roots in past
its life in present
the towering treetops
holding the wisdom of all to come"

XIII.
a message of peace
for a smothering nation
whose outward customs may wane
but whose spirits will forever hold
to the truths of their way of life

in this way
the knowledge is preserved
held in silence
until the time is right for its return

There will be much to speak of
round the fires tonight

The rustle of the south wind in the treetops
tells me of the warmth this day will bring

I close my eyes
taking slow, deep breaths
absorbing the vitality of life
giving thanks for yet another dawning

I feel the sun's energies pervade my soul
just as the heat from the shower
pervades my body

I am home again

XIV.
I dress by habit
movement without thought
my automatic control sends me to the kitchen
the next step in the pattern of my days

Sunlight streams in the kitchen window
The salty breeze
lifts the ruffled percale curtains

I see the gulls circling o'er the beach
waiting for the meal
I daily share with them

In a state of quiet receptivity
a realization dawns -
love is not an emotion
It is a process
when clung to it smothers
a dying fire

but when set free, it flies

as free as the phoenix
in flight towards the sun

XVI.
and the phoenix flies
heart expanding
with every stroke of wings on air
contracting with the swoop of a glide
gently moving, always returning
only existent
when allowed freedom of movement

as he wings to new heights
the light of other hearts flames forth

and the flight of the phoenix is under way…

a bird of grace and beauty
healing in motion
a fiery flickering in the sky
encapsulated
in a quiet, white, unearthly radiance

swooping low
a long, smooth glide
covering the city with a hush of stillness
filling the air with its serenity

the people below are blessed
by the grace of this moment of silent awe
unsure of what they have just seen

yet calmer
for having seen it
released for a moment
from the spell of the myths of matter

Only being is eternal

XVII.
As observer and observed I realize
the flow is more important than time
with patience
a moment of peace is retained

the key is to learn
that when it is time for something to happen
it will happen

I let go of freedom's illusion
so that which is itself
will of itself
become itself

What I accept as truth becomes reality

All that I have and I am is given, not earned
That which cannot be found
cannot be lost
it can only be experienced

the flight continues
the phoenix moving toward the light
at the center of its universe
taking the tensions gathered on earth
to offer to the sun

an offering of sustenance -
fuel for the light

XVIII.
and the sun works its magic
sending its light back to the earth
in rays of healing colors
touching my arm

and Tchaikowsky still plays
filling the air of my humble habitat
with the beauty of creation

the sound of harps reverberates

following one ray of sun
in its eternal movement
I watch as it deflects off the moon
before reaching the earth

where it touches as a glory, warmth
to suddenly illumine
the canopy of a river boat
moored on the Nile

XIX.
The river is motionless
allowing cranes to sleep on one leg
among long, spear-like reeds
that stand silent guard near the barge

A pyramid reflects in the still waters

a ritual is in progress
after hours of silent meditation
while their thoughts explored the dark
unknown qualities of mind and matter

awaiting the moment of birth
of the new moon at spring equinox
a man and a woman
prepare to work their alchemy

Dressed in Egyptian garb
with the golden form of a snake as a crown
they sit, knee to knee, palm to palm
in the open prow of the barge

The rhythmic,
harmonic tone of their chant
the dual vibration
creates a sphere of peace around them

The new moon rising beckons
Lightening flashes
as their hands reach for the sky

and the veil is lifted
that which separates known and unknown
shading mortal eyes from the brightness
that might leave them blind if unprepared

Bodies grounded, their spirits fly
to dance together in the heavens
misty clouds their raiment
the moon their chandelier
the stars the flame of candles glowing

wrapped in the warmth of a cloud
they join in cosmic creativity
swirling into the form
of a snake biting its tail

following the law of infinite unity
spirits and hearts merge in synthesis

By their union
essence into essence
they harness an amazing energy

an image of love

expanding, descending to the earth
while intermingling
with the sun's rays rising

to travel among spires of crystals
pulsating with energy
in that place beyond time
where visions enter and recede

a beam of white light
pulses through the atmosphere
changing all it touches

blending, compressing
attracting more energy
until the density of the very beginning
of life as matter is reached

XX.
and a very special child
is conceived this night
a spirit brought to life in the purest love

My spirit and the child's join
and we descend together
to the quiet of my kitchen

as a dream brought down
with the shadows of the night

my sense of direction turns around
as consciousness returns to my body
I feel the first soft stirring of life in my limbs
filling the whole of my being

and I gladly accept my destiny
with quiet joy in my heart
a smile on my lips
a feeling of rightness to my being

I am yesterday's potential, actualized

XXI.
The sunshine still streams through the window
with the swish of curtains
fluttering in the breeze

I rise from my chair, a lightness in my step
to stroll along the quiet beach
its empty stretches of sand the path ahead

I hear the hiss and cessation of the ocean's tide
the squawk of the seagulls about to take flight
I listen for the subtle sounds
the finer mist of energies

when I close my eyes
I see the color of their echoes

The sunlight reflects on the aquamarine
of the gently rolling waves
as the gulls begin their flight

What beauty there is to behold!

and I have the clearest vision
sent as a gift with the clean salty air
of this spirit and I being one

the tenderness of a first touch
experienced by more than my own hand
the innocence and trust of newborn eyes
with the knowledge of ages within them

fresh joy and wonder
joining with peace and acceptance
a spark of boundless curiosity
initiating new forms in endless creation

the best of the old and the new
uniting in harmony

where new found innocence discovers the light
ancient intuition understands the light
their union becomes the light

infinity in motion
in every moment of life

XXII.
There is a quiet peace
in the center of this circle of my being
a balanced blending of we into I

This alternate reality
agrees with my true nature
in a realm where seeming magic still exists

travelling the inner road
upon the path less often followed
to find the source that is I

A ring of the phone brings me back home
the rest of the day floats by
mundane chores made lighter
by a new and different point of view

I wonder which reality is
the inner or the outer?
Both worlds seem so real

Eternal truth alters with the spirit of the times

There are moments in human life
when a new page is turned