Columnists
Accounting
A Poem by MICHELE GIBSON
Will someone take my hand after I die
And painstakingly review the high points and the failures
The time I hit my sibling or
Stepped in to ridicule the wretched neighbor
Did I abandon the weak and blissfully forgot
Will the lives of those less fortunate than I be resurrected
Will I face these in my detention
Studied, scrutinized, inspected
As I gaze into the bright and loving eyes of God
Willing to weigh my virgin humility
Or, will I flow into a great abyss
Oblivious, without cognition, without memory
Could my energy be simply swept away
Mingled with the dust of ages
Dissolving into the greater good
Melting to consummate the enlightenment of sages
Mindlessly restored to a perfect union
A complete and thorough rendering
Would that amalgam allow me the impetus to feel
That I, is we, is us, is everything
That I became all, embraced by the One
And in my collapsing heart perceived the essence of God
Or will I know God by reflection, absolution, restoration
- Is my God too small or is the nature of my I too flawed?
February 4, 2011
Conversation about this article
1: Gurbani Kaur (Wisconsin, U,S.A.), February 04, 2011, 9:49 AM.
Ah-h-h! This is a heart-felt song of a pious soul ... and of the universe. It's as if you have given voice to my doubts and fears, prayers and hopes ... indeed, to my inner-most ruminations. Deeply touching and achingly beautiful!
2: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), February 04, 2011, 10:57 AM.
Michele, what a soulful rendering of the final flight and plight when the balance sheet of our deeds must be rendered at the termination of our temporary tenancy on earth. Bhagat Farid provides the guideline for the completion of the return. "Fareeda pankh par-aahunee/ dunee suhavaa baag/ na-ubt vajee subah si-o chalna kaa kar saaj" [GGS:1382.10] - 'Farid, the bird is a guest in this beautiful world garden. The morning drums are beating, get ready to leave.' We need to ask ourselves: Are we leaving the earth better than we found it?
3: Prakash Singh Bagga (India), February 05, 2011, 8:19 AM.
From gurbani we know that it is only SatGuru who can guide us to the completion of the journey.