A New Departure

Getting there together

A five-year-old boy
suitcase in hand
departing.

While the family
stood with their camera
to capture the event.

All my life I listened to my friends
They said, “You were running away
something must have happened.”

And I believed all those stories
But I was not running away
No!
I was not running away!

This young boy was departing
The beginning of the quest
Traveling, exploring, discovering.

Eighteen years old
and a new departure.
To South Carolina
where blacks and whites
met in anger and hate.

I searched beyond the color of our skin
and the anger in our voice.
My eyes touched briefly
on the spirit within.

I traveled to the dirty beaches of New Jersey
and the noisy streets of New York City.
The hurried voices and heavy accents.

Touching briefly
on the spirit within.

A new departure,
Okinawa Japan.
Where the warm waters met.
Japanese, Chinese, Philippines,
Blacks, Whites, Hispanics.
And the faces of children.

I looked to the heart of all these people
and touched briefly
the spirit within.

Exploring the depths of the Ocean
hoping I would find it there.

Discovering Buddhism
and the beginning
of a new departure.

Returning home to
College, books, philosophers,
and teachers.

Exploring the heights of mountains
and snowcapped peaks.

My heart led me
to culture festivals.
The people of Los Angelus, San Diego,
Philadelphia, Washington DC.
New York, Chicago, and Hawaii.

Finally traveling to
where fifty countries gathered
and many cultures met.

Where ever I traveled
I heard the same voice
in the heart of people.

Thirty years old
and a new departure.
A journey within.
Into the deep unknown.

Someone warned me
“Don’t go in there
for you may never return.”

But the explorer knows
that you must travel
and take the risk.

And it was dark
darker than the blackest night.

But beyond the journey of many years,
and the fear of darkness,
is a bright light.
A radiant light
that cuts through all darkness.

And I had found it!
For it was always there.

An explorer
Seeking the possibilities
of sharing the life blood of the Universe
as it flows through our veins
into the vast pool of community.

Seeking the possibilities of sharing
nature, community, and spirit
in respectful interaction.

Seeking joy and laughter
in a world often troubled with fear.

Seeking the possibility
of the light of Love
unfolding each moment.

Possibilities of a new departure.
Each moment
a new beginning.

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