THE WAY

I left the empty vault of the civilized world,
for it stunk of death and decay.
And I found my peace in the desert.
I hoped for the sun to bake the madness out of me.
For man's wicked ways, had pushed me beyond all choices.
I lived humbly with the most meager of supplies.
I ran barefoot in the sand, as the sun rised
in the early morning's majesty.
By mid-day, flies bit my sweating body.
My skin became like leather,
and as my body hardened my heart softened.
I accepted what little parcels of life the desert had to offer.
I saw spring flowers grow from prickly cacti.
To ward off the evening cold, I built raging fires.
I stared into them and saw stories of the ages.
I sat zen-like with my legs crossed,
as I watched the sunrises and sunsets.
The colors soothed my soul.
I saw such beauty in all these things.
And as I stayed quiet for a string of many days,
like little stones of rosary beads,
I no longer harbored my anger.
Man's ways became unimportant to me.
I prayed with the animals, plants, and bluffs,
which floated in the great horizon.
And I finally became me.
I knew I was alone, but I wasn't lost.
The great spirit had shown me the way.
For what are days and nights without the sun, moon, and stars?
I was alone and love was all around me.