There He stood with a brush in hand,
And a glowing palette of spectrum band,
Deep in thought with unerring resolve
O'er His empty canvas His gaze revolved.
So many possibilities of semblance, size and shape,
Smell and texture varied to be, throughout the life's phase.
Easy wasn't the task, a balance to be kept,
In their unique duties, all should be adept.
With all these in mind,
His artistic strokes flowed,
Lo & Behold, the magic of His mold,
Thus a big beautiful world arose.
As each entity came to life,
Not one of them, did look alike.
All glanced around in the mean time
Noting the differences of every kind.
Rose looked down, horrified,
At its prickly thorns, un-glorified.
Lotus in the muddy waters floated
Whilst it felt, the grand Oaks gloated.
Maple saw its puny flowers,
Felt them lacking in attractive powers.
Pine didn't like its pointy leaves,
Thought were just too coarse to perceive.
When He laid back to admire,
For this creation, He did perspire.
Seeing them crestfallen, baffled He became,
What so happened that left them all maimed?
Everyone's plight, He heard,
In His mind, He wondered
Put Him in a quandary, His creation did,
Hard was the task of how to explain it?
For when He entangled a single thread,
There unfurled another loose end,
An eternity would it take to explain,
Why was it a blessing that they believed a bane?
So send them He did, to this cosmos,
With many clues to this treasure trove,
With numerous questions still intact,
On the life's stage, gave a role to enact.
Livelong day, they must seek,
What unique treasures their souls keep.
Find will the Rose, its enchanting smell,
In all loving hearts it shall dwell.
Lotus if turned to inward self,
Will rediscover its piety,
Despite its muddy origins,
On it will sit the Deity.
Maple will see its blossoming leaves,
Take away all sunken heart's grieves,
In the Autumn's shades it will gleam,
Whilst the pines for ever, shall remain green.
This eternal game all are destined to play,
Different were the molds but all cast from one clay,
Many a paths to tread, afore you can sleep,
Once you are there, never shall you leave!
--25th Oct 2016 Japanese Garden, Seattle
