The Flight to Light

I saw a swift bird,
And wished I could fly,
Freely roaming far and wide,
High into the sky.

I saw a sleek car,
And wished I too could zoom,
From one town to another,
I would arrive too soon.

I saw a lovely lady,
And wished her in my car,
An evening after another,
I would be her star.

I saw a trendy sportstar,
With accolades against his name,
I wished I could be number one,
On top of my game.

I saw the rugged mountaineer,
And dreamt of Mount Everest,
I wished I were scaling,
Along with the best.

Thus my life passed,
Anxious to be what I’m not,
Convinced that all happiness,
Is out there to be got.

And then I saw a devotee,
Just chanting the Holy Names,
Surely I didn’t want this,
It didn’t make no sense!

But then I saw him again,
He didn’t have all that stuff,
But he was just so happy,
Was it just a bluff?

Very soon I found,
What was really the bluff –
To think that the source of happiness,
Was all the other stuff.

Fooled by the media blitz,
Which promises immediate pleasure,
Blinded by its powerful glare,
I had lost the real treasure.

Deluded by the silver screen,
Immersed in that filmy song,
On roller coaster rides with happy endings,
I had wasted my time so long.

Maddened by the sports mania,
With the ball’s movement I rose and sat,
With no one to tell me any better,
Had sought happiness in wielding the bat.

Shackled by my limitations,
Wanting to break free,
I had desired to be an insignificant bird,
Whose life is but from a tree to a tree.

Looking for a life full of meaning,
Yearning for something to dedicate to,
If nothing else, at least, I had thought,
Let me scale a mountain or two.

Oh! How I have been deceived,
By the society in which I live,
False promises of happiness,
Is all that it can give.

Now I’m finally disillusioned,
By the grace of the devotee,
Who impressed it upon me,
What it is to be truly happy.

In fact, I’m an eternal soul,
Part and parcel of the Lord,
To serve Him is my original nature,
Unlimited happiness is the reward.

By looking for happiness somewhere else,
I was never satisfied with whatever I got,
Because nothing else was actually that,
Which my heart unknowingly sought.

Now when I see a bird fly,
It reminds me of my own flight,
From the murky shores of dissatisfaction,
High into the sky of eternal light.

_._._