Another Dream

Sounds of morning, fluid undertones, yet cacophonous; Rhythmic rustling of nearby trees form the baseline for tropical chaos. Each added layer draws me further into distraction. I hear the shadowy neighbors breaking their silence, Attendant to their morning chores. A distant train chimes in, noisily announcing its slithering passage. Sounds of morning vie for my attention. New, hypnotic rhythms spiral close, retreat and then surround me, to further crystalize direction for the day. Can I break into the layers of deepening trance to realize the quiet peace of enlightenment just beneath the busyness and violent distraction? Pairs of red chested robins, lyrical cardinals, yellow flittering finches each visit the backyard feeder in their turn, While the brackish pigeons, bullish bluejays and sulking squirrels noisily muscle their way in to feed among the bird-tossed seeds, now scattered haphazardly on the ground. Beneath it all there is Silence. Stillness quietly directs peaceful calmness to the center of swirling time. "Just another dream." I smile. Next door, loud frenzied dogs and deep tinkling chimes add their voices to the concert of morning. Busyness abounds, directing all attention outward. While the Silence of enlightenment, like a stoic sentinel, erectly stands, patiently waiting. "They also serve who stand and wait." Copious mirages pass through the early hours, rising with the stifling heat, and yet, Beneath it all I am drawn to Silence. Yearning for Peace, order, calmness: where joy and childlike wonder view the world through eyes of young divinity and matured praise. I realize each moment is precious as it passes. But I know there is only Now. There is only Here. As I am here I am everywhere. And so, I observe as the concert rages on about me. It is enough to view the contrast within the borders of crystal sanity. "Just another dream." I smile. A marble Buddha sits atop a comforting splashing fountain. It's waters of life spray the arid air with relief. I wonder what He's thinking, behind his Mona Lisa smile. What do His closed eyes watch so intently? Will I ever break through the noise of embodiment to reach His supreme level of attainment, And walk beside Him on His jeweled crystal pathway in the sky? "O! Just another dream." I smile.