The Playful Sprig

 Detached from my moorings
Clueless, I danced giddily with happiness
Full of curiosity, astride the blowing wind
Got intoxicated after soaking in new sightings
 

Earlier. anchored to my branch my view was limited
Now I go freely wherever the friendly breeze takes me
Alas! First I was bound by birth and now I am swept off
Totally at the mercy of a whimsical wind, such is my destiny
 

My siblings that stayed still hang from the parent tree
Cared for, cherished, nurtured, safely anchored
I am like that rolling stone without any moss and
The gilt that glittered from tree top is really dross
 

It is all a matter of perception
What appeared to be intriguing then, in reality
Is not so and what is tangible is what is and
We already have it, rest is a mirage, shadow only
 

Ultimate truth is that light n shadow exist in life’s vessel
A patchwork quilt where dark and bright sides wrestle
We all go through this cycle, turning relentlessly like those
Grain mills, taking turns at being a mortar or a pestle
 

I have had my moment in the sun
Where I enjoyed sights and sounds of fun
Now the wind has dropped me on a different ride
Where I know I will be thoughtlessly swept aside
 

I am ready to depart with few qualms
I’ve happily lived life on my own terms
I have relished widening my limited horizons
I gladly now pay the price n perish for being brazen
 
(photograph courtesy Howard Bloom)