A mountain stream cascades
through brambles and over stones:
I hear the water as I sit 
in silent contemplation.

I came to these mountains 
to clear my head and my heart
of recurring bouts of heaviness,
hoping I’d find forgiveness
for I don’t know what,
or at least, some understanding.

We all have hidden things 
filling the pockets of our lives,
weighing us down more and more – 
things we are ashamed of;
memories we wish to forget;
experiences we could have done without.

That is what brought me to this stream,
because I know if I do not release these
they will continue to haunt me
out there, in man’s cities
and the pollution within
will be worse than that without.

By the sound of the waters
I find myself saying: 
I will not be a slave to my past;
I will let it go into the starry night.
I will take on my problems
as tasks to be performed,
which I must complete
that I may move on, 
emptying my pockets
and walking lightly once more.

"Sharran" Windwalker...2005