The Discovering

Flooded out, hemmed in from all sides
Health, wealth, and people helplessly standing by

No more, no more, I begged
For how long will this go on, I cried

I flaunted all that I had,
I surrendered, throwing up my hands

Power, fame, friends, all deserted me
Even my shadow played hide and seek

My fortunes waned and waxed like the moon
Joys and sorrows alternated, leaving me in a swoon

Like the tide rising high and hitting the trough
My moods swung up and down on a bough 

Fighting the shackles I tore ahead, 
Drifting rudderless, I felt a dread

Neither here, nor there, I was
And yet everywhere scattered my thoughts

The balance sheet of life showed
There was much longer to go

The good times, yes, but the bad times too?
Will this ever end, I ask you!

Frustrated, I refuse to engage
Watching life go by, like a play

Strange that things still happen
And there is no agony that maddens

Like floating in water I go with the flow
And feel the return of my inner glow

Guided as it were into new journeys
Finding nuggets that shine even without seeking

What I would have grabbed now comes freely
For the joy is in the journey, not in acquiring

With hurdles or free, the path for me is born
To enjoy the flowers along with the thorns

There are no shackles but in the mind
Freedom that waits for me to find

Knowing this, I am at peace
Doing what must be done, and not to please.