Life's Lessons

The greatest mystery
for a man and for a woman
is how they will
complete themselves.
There is a certain emptiness
that is both a thrill and a fear
behind every life decision.

The longing of the heart,
the curiosity of the mind,
the search for career
and for pleasure
flow from the inner spring
which seeks to fill
the hollow vessel
of our soul.

In the outpouring of our love
at once exalting joy
and poignant sadness,
we attempt fulfillment
through giving and taking
through searching and staying
through having and losing
through pushing ourselves forward
and through holding back.

Somewhere deep inside
we know we are incomplete
no matter how great
our successes
no matter how effusive
the praises of others
no matter how exciting
our adventures.

We know we are still
a shadow of what we can become.
We know we are still
shopping and collecting.
We know we are still
exploring and flirting
with life and death,
a game we are playing
in order to complete ourselves.

Second Movement:
The Path

The greatest mystery
for a man and for a woman
is how they will
complete themselves.
The circuitous path of life
brings them always back
to where they began:
searching.

Nature works with us
to balance past and present
to balance present and future
to point our two feet forward
to see with two eyes
to seek with one heart
the other half
of our destiny.

The inner urge to create,
to write the mythology
of our life,
to uplift and to attract
like the hand outstretched
to the stranger,
like the worm on the hook,
like the colorful plumage
glorifying the dance.

Until the moment we recognize
our true love,
whether a person or a purpose,
all our choices are made
by inner drives we don't
fully understand.
Is it free will or destiny
that guides our path
to a crowded city street
or to a wilderness?

Only hindsight reveals
the pattern of our life.
How the vying forces
played with our ego,
how at the point of decision
we were saved unknowingly,
how the guidance of our Soul
wore the mask of self-determination
so we would make
the right choices.

Third Movement:
The Meeting

The greatest mystery
for a man and for a woman
is how they will
complete themselves.
As we evolve
through tests and opportunities
another life is being
shaped and forged
to fit ours.

Two daredevils careening
through life,
sometimes seeking treasure
sometimes seeking thrills
sometimes stopping long enough
to love
to discover
to withdraw
to reveal
to grow
to heal
to change direction.

Always the uncertainty
always the knowledge
always the desire
always the hope
always the expectation
driving, driving, driving us
forward obsessed
to live
to find the one who will
complete us.

We take a chance
we follow a dream
we fail miserably
or taste the great rewards
always recovering
from failure and success
so that the unseen forces,
an eternal magnet,
draw the scattered dust
of two yearning souls
together.

The fateful moment approaches.
Cast limply upon the stage
two marionettes without
the puppeteer
Mysterious music with
life-giving rhythms
animate our limbs
renew our senses
revitalize our hearts
breathe life into us
open our eyes
make us dance.
We touch
hold hands
lift each other up
stand in the light
look into each other's soul
with recognition.

© 2000 Richard Sidy