There was a man
From a humble town
Six feet tall
And his color brown

He searched for liberation
For all his bad deeds
And asked for mercy
From which he could be freed

And so he left behind
His humble home
Only to return
After his roam

Thus, he began his search
And followed the sun
He lost hopes before he even started
But his journey had just begun

The next morning
He reached the river banks
And so to quench his thirst
The water, he drank

He saw a young woman
On the banks of the river
Selling red roses
Which beckoned him thither

"Where might the lord be"
He asked the lady
"In those woods" she said
Which seemed dark and shady

She said "the world is loving"
And gifted him a rose
"This will help you seek your answer
During the hard times and woes"

And so he left
And hit the road
And followed along
Where the river flowed

In those dark woods
He met a man
"I am a warrior"
Shouted the swordsman

"Where might the lord be", asked he
Pointing there, he said
"Behind that hill
And then farther ahead"

He said "the world is cruel"
And lent him his sword
"This will help you seek the answer
When there is trouble aboard"

And so he sets off once again
To see the lord
With his beautiful rose
And the apical sword

He thought of the lord
Many a times
Wondered if he would forgive
For all of his crimes

He met a wise man
After crossing the tiring hill
For seeking an answer to which
Only he could help; fulfill

"Where might the lord be" asked he
To which the wise man said
"He is neither behind
Nor ahead"

Hearing this
He couldn't believe his ears
This is not what he had expected
Just when the time had neared

He almost went
A world around
But the great lord
Never to be found

Tired of the quest
He went back home
Sat on his desk
And began to mourn

That's when he realized
What the wise man meant
To stop seeking for his worthyness
And make the best of what he had been lent

And so he let go
Of the past and his future
And began to write this poem
On his computer.

10/01/2013

Author's Note: There's an irony between the ending, the poet and myself :)

Posted on 10/01/2013
Copyright © 2025 Vivek Shrinivasan