In the locking of the horns
In the movement to the very edge
In the push and the pull
In the crying for more this and that—
Who shall hold dominion?”
Shall we continue to live in chaos?
Shall we continue living only in a search for pleasure?
Or shall we choose peace?
We can go to the right or to the left.
We can go forwards or backwards.
The choice is ours.
Deep within is more than a precious memory
Borne on wings of song and perfect joy
It speaks to us when we have ears to listen
And a heart that’s open to light and love like a flower in bloom.
In this moment beyond time and circumstance, we are free.
But we keep forgetting
And the perfect stillness is hidden as we fly away.
“Where has it gone?” we ask.
It’s gone nowhere; it’s we who have taken flight.
The perfect stillness is always there awaiting our return.
But we are so ready to exchange the palace for the pig-sty
To let ourselves be measured by the world’s measuring rods and scales—
The endless Oscars and Obies we ought to win—
While we turn our backs on the myriad of priceless gifts already bestowed:
Our precious breath, the blue skies, a dear friend, the ocean’s roar, a baby’s smile—
The One in it all.
The wise one within perpetually sits on the mountain top
Watching the peaks and valleys of our daily life
But even the wise one is too far from view
When we block the guidance with our smokescreens:
Ignorance, Confusion and Lovelessness
Once tasting the sublime and the truly loving
Why do we drink the bitters and call it wine?
Speak words that say nothing and call it Truth?
Hear the non-stop, pneumatic drilling in our ears and call it music?
Smell the garbage that we spill around us and call it roses?
Deal with others with a grabbing and a cold leaving-out
Instead of a tender sharing of what they really mean to us?
The play goes on whether we will it success or not.
Will the pain, emptiness and boredom continue to be our scenario
Or will we ultimately unveil the sublime and dwell therein?
It is a battle to the death for Love and Will
So again we ask:
Who Shall Hold Dominion?
— Carl Baum
