THE PILGRIMAGE
By
-Daniel-
©
Though we be apart,
we are but a heartbeat away.
I have come to share a Truth
upon this blessed day.
Alone, I wandered the lonely desert roads
in search of answers to my confusion and to
know the faith of all belief.
Across the trackless sands did I trek and upon
the way I met the devout followers of various Faiths,
each making a pilgrimage to the sacred site of their
own scriptures.
Good and loving travelers, all, were they
but I could not bring myself to walk the pilgrim's
path for I knew not the way.
Utterly alone was I in my quest for Truth,
for I could not choose the path to follow
or love one pilgrim above another.
Forty days gave birth to die while the fires
of faith battled within my soul.
And when all seemed lost, when faithlessness
reared its ugly head to take possession of
yet another life,
I was delivered into the hands of three devout men
who knew the way, that the serenity of peace might
be restored.
Three holy men of three different Faiths sat by
my side to dispel the darkness of my night.
They spoke in unison of a sacred pool hidden deep
within the mountains, whose reflective waters held
the answer that I so desperately sought.
Then each spoke in turn of their own pilgrimage to
this place of contemplation and of the answers
they had separately found.
And the Rabbi, who was the eldest, spoke unto me
the most powerful words that I had ever heard...
"I sat at the water's edge, peering into its
emerald depths that I might come to know my God.
And the face of the Lawgiver did I see and I
heard the Voice that proclaimed:"
'I am the Lord thy God.
Thou shalt have no other
gods before Me.'
Then the Priest, who was second in age, spoke
unto me the most loving words that I had ever felt...
"I sat at the water's edge, peering into its
placid blue depths that I might come to know my God.
And the face of the Messiah did I see and I
heard the Voice that proclaimed:"
'Thou shalt love thy Lord, thy God
with all thy heart
and with all thy soul
and with all thy mind.'
Then the Shaikh, who was the youngest, spoke
unto me the wisest words that I had ever known...
"I sat at the water's edge, peering into its
crystal clear depths that I might come to know my God.
And the face of the Beloved Prophet of God did I see and I
heard the Voice that proclaimed:"
'There is no God except Allah.'
And together they urged me on and pointed the way
that I might find for myself the Sacred Pool of Contemplation
and come to know the Truth held therein.
So I bid these three Guiding Lights a fond farewell
and off I went, determined to find this Sacred Pool
and come to know my God.
For seven days I journeyed across the barren desert sands
and into the mountains did I ascend;
and in that secret place did I find the serenity of this
water's holy pool.
Long did I sit at the water's edge, peering into the
reflection of its hidden depths that I might come
to know my God.
But I saw not the visions of those who had gone before me,
not the face of the Lawgiver, Messiah or the beloved
Prophet of God...
...Rather I saw a mighty tree,
stretching forth unto the heavens
countless branches and upon each branch,
myriad upon myriad of fragrant blooms
and within each bloom, a seed for every soul
that shall ever be.
And then I heard the Voice that proclaimed:
'I Am All Things unto all men
for I Am the reflection of their own
Divinity.'