Waters run deep
In the wells
Sustaining life
What we hold dear
Is protected by
Slippery walls promising
Much to those
Staying close
To these waters
Forgetting memories
Of great men
Appearing each generation
With bodies resembling ours
And minds like humane aliens
Reading a script wavering little
Unlike ebb and flow of civilizations past
Now anonymous thoughts mingling with one another
Evaporating from wells
Of desire, for much
Gain though the body
Sheltering it from ravages of time
Taking the sheen
Of living gems
Invisible to the naked eye
Miniature mirrors
Showing reflections of the whole
To hardworking cells working ceaselessly
The mind sits on a throne
Of ideas, bolstering itself
To a lofty pedestal
In the imagined internal struggle
Ignored by working bystanders
Keeping the body ticking
Keeping the body ticking
Along a finite loop
To the finish line
Ending where it all began
Deep in the well
Where free will
And instincts commingle
Bound by ropes
Of existential thoughts
The whole never reflected on
Like a dream quickly forgotten
But those flickering thoughts never extinguish
Coloring the waters
Deep in the well somewhere
Self preservation instinct lurks
Bathing in these waters
Not right or wrong
It benefits the body
For the journey
Forging under
The free sky
Clear of thoughts
That are lead ballasts
Stabilizing the mind
Along the path
Of rest and gold
Which have to be
Spent by the
Passage’s end
Where only the body
Meets a dead end street
But the dormant mind lives on
In spaces beyond imagination
The view from
The bottom of a well
Is narrow and defined
Unlike where the mind likes to keep
Thoughts, flying in endless space
If one could see them all
Would be a thunderstorm
Flooding carefully dug
Wells of hope
With waters of desire
Which don’t mix
Like oil and water
It’s easier to remove
What floats on the surface
Escaping these waters
That pin us to our little self
Is a secretive art
Learnt in silence
With a rope and pulley
Moved only by patience
Long unopened boxes
Lurking deep in the mind
Rich with ideas
Lying dormant in the dark
Rise to the surface
Where its value is great
The price to pay, arduous work
Not with body but the mind
Coupled with excitement
Only an explorer would know
The priceless artifact
A queen jewel
Is reclaimed
Not for proud display
But silent proclamation
To the lower world
Time is up
Pack up the toys
Giving way to
A strong belief
In the power to rise above
The surface of the mind
Where the narrow depths
Once regarded as deep
Appear as shallow pools
With ideals destined to be marooned
Remaining little more
Than nascent ideas
Mowed down by
More pressing thoughts
Of survival, rest and gold
Enriching life
Down to the depth of the skin
And what’s visible of the mind
The dormant belief
In the power within oneself
A string strong enough to hold
The baggage of life
Is best left to dry in the
Light of wisdom
Even if it emanates
From great distances or another time
Its warmth felt
On the skin
Like the sun
Which does not move
But appears to, this self belief
Is always there
Invisible when
Faith is turned off
By a mind stirred
By reflections that fool
And tease like mirages
Tracked by eyes
Which are never lazy
To do the mind’s bidding
Self belief feins
A dreamless sleep
But when it stirs
It spews forth
Like a volcano
Scattering soft thoughts
Living under its shadow
That immense power
Creates islands of new thought
In the ocean of the mind changing it forever
- N. Seshadri
