Dark thoughts lurk underneath the surface
It’s hard to investigate, when we’re involved in this circus
Hypnotized by charming sights and sounds
In the end, making us look like clowns
Who have commanded the stage
But wasted opportunities in this golden age
To witness the rise of the mind
Into the status of the silent and refined
Without pockets full of poison
Those in power would not be so brazen
Trampling on other’s rights
Leaving the rest to clean up after messy fights
The power mongers who grab the stage
Cannot be driven out even by old age
Like a snake that is coiled up in a wicker basket
For them, fear is asleep in a casket
The panoply of their progeny
Makes a mockery of equality
This is a beautiful land
Cruel bickering threatens to turn it into dust and sand
In the gated world of the mind
Both riches and dangers may be mined
Leaving the rest alone
One is free to own
A slice of that inner property
And even establish an absolute monarchy
It is truly a private land
Why not sanctify it through one’s own hand?
It’s depth may be unknown
Knowing how to swim, there’s no fear of being thrown
Amongst shark like thoughts
That cut across
Societal barriers keeping rich and poor apart
Both suffer from an injured mind, leading to a bleeding heart
The seed of humanity can never be lost
But it cannot grow when the mind is in a midst of a frost
That separates people by color and kin
Partisan thoughts use as a proxy, tone of another’s skin
Flying high above the planet’s rugged exterior
It becomes apparent that none is superior or inferior
All hopelessly marooned
Blissfully unaware, with lives consumed
By the writ of impulse
Which our higher nature would surely repulse
A life thoughtfully lived
Can never be deprived
Of a chance that comes every lifetime
An opportunity to climb
The creeper of inner life
Well in advance of the afterlife
There’s no guarantee then
Of the wealth of this moment coming back again
That everlasting inner perfume
Can easily destroy any threat of gloom
Foreboding may be momentary
But in that moment, one is completely solitary
It is not our natural state
But through force of habit, we recriminate
Not against our own folly
But those whose may be innocent and friendly
Poisoning the well forever
Perpetuating acrimony into the distant future
It’s little use for history buffs to shed tears
When the mistake was never theirs
The past is receding fast
If it is left alone, one will never be harassed
And is left free to move around
In a mind that isn’t bound
That freedom cannot be gifted
But it can flow from one to another, as a liquid
The best we can do
Is give another a taste of that inner brew
Even a drop would suffice
To see that variety isn’t the only spice
Of life, that the mind cares about
There’s plenty within which will destroy seeds of doubt
Currently smothered by the velvet exterior
Of the mind, shining as if it’s superior
It isn’t a magic carpet one’s led to believe
But a curtain that is made to deceive
What a grand success it has been
Forgetting one’s nature is the original sin
To the one who knows
There are no highs or lows
Serenity seeks an even keel
To the observant, it has great appeal
Frothy waters of a turbulent past
Can never break one’s mast
Even if the sails propelling life, violently unfurl
Nothing has the power to hurl
Anyone back to a time
When success and life were in perfect rhyme
The rhythm of life is altered by mental strife
Which cuts through happiness like a hot knife
There is a way forward
Without having to leave this orchard
One can resurrect the mind by embracing life
And eradicating the disease of sloth, which is rife
Immunity is rendered very poor
When one’s more of a talker and less of a doer
A silent mind never pauses
To look for excuses
Driven by innate wisdom
Eschewing an imposed dictum
It leads the way to freedom
That path is never littered with boredom
It’s refreshed every moment
There is no lack of enjoyment
The first steps may seem hard
It is nature’s way of assuming guard
Keeping us fully engaged in this play
Waiting for us to fully weigh
The immensity of the inner state
Before letting go of the worldly bait
For there’s no coming back
Having transcended every mental track
Like a newborn’s clean slate
Every moment is embraced right out of the gate
There is nothing behind or ahead
The notion of time would then be shred
That’s the fountain of everlasting youth
Found in every fleshy booth
On entering it
Few rarely commit
To making it a ladder
Taking one higher
Where the uniformity would be apparent
And all dogma rendered transparent
There isn’t clutter or noise on a mountaintop
Winds sing the song of freedom on that rocky crop
The same tune is played in the rarified regions of the mind
Where silence and wisdom are intertwined
- N. Seshadri
