The Center of the World

author's note:

At the age of nine, Black Elk experienced a vision in which he stood at the center of the world--Harney Peak, South Dakota.

But in the same moment, he understood that every place on Earth is also the center.


THE CENTER OF THE WORLD

When I was small
I often felt quite small

so I'd climb a nearby hill

and at the top
I'd survey all below me
and imagine I was standing
at The Center of the World.

At such moments
I’d vow to myself:
one day I’ll be at the top
and all those people
will look up at me
and finally see my light.

Alas, as an adult
I’ve failed to realize
that dizzy ambition.
But though my ego is finally willing
to accept defeat
forces within keep driving me.

So I still feel frustrated.

But I’ve found a way to find relief:
I return to that hill of my childhood.

However, now
when I climb to the top
I don’t wish to inflate—
no, I go for perspective

because when I gaze down
at our human life below
the game called “success”
can seem so small.

But if I then begin
to feel above it all
I’ll tell myself:
yeah, you’re at
The Center of the World

but so is everyone else on this planet.

mythsteps · The Center of the World

Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams
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Two Types of Happiness

author’s note:

“Prosperity is just around the corner.”
            – Herbert Hoover


TWO TYPES OF HAPPINESS

These days, I tell myself:

don't squander your time
seeking the type of happiness
ruled by the whimsy
of a mad god called “Fortune”--
he will turn his smile into a frown
without warning.

These days, I tell myself:

find the type of happiness found
by those who have gone through darkness
and now beam the beatific smile.

For too long, I believed
I’d find Fortune smiling at me
just around the next corner

and so I worked to turn
corner after corner after corner.

Some may say
I “took a few bad turns”.
To that I’d answer:
I was always spiraling upward.

In fact I now believe
I was actually following
a grand plan made for me:

in the darkness of disappointment
I finally saw what I truly needed
and stopped praying to the erratic god--
now I work to create
a light strong enough to survive
whatever twists of fate await.

Yeah I know
I’m still kinda dim
but I haven’t lost hope--
by continuing this upward course
I hope
to one day be among those
who beam that beatific smile.

My War for Peace: poetry ebook—new and improved!
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