Flipping Poems

The Alchemist

Dedicated to: ec_poetry

Roaming aimlessly among the strangers
The caretaker of sheep that I am
Traveling I had wished upon, so I chose
Between a priest and a shepherd -

Travelled all over the Andalusian lands
Using the books I read as pillows
My faithful sheep I provide with food and water
Never they seem to want anything more.

Sleeping in a church with a sycamore tree
I got the same dream for the second time
Trusting my dream with a Gypsy to comprehend
It crushed the pursuit which was left -

Reading one such book, irritated by company
Was an old man, later a king
Entrusted me with Urim and Thummim
To find the treasure in my dream

I set out for the Pyramids in Egypt
Crossing the vast desert after reaching the port
At the port I met treachery and robbery
Left me with no money, just faith -

One such crystal shop on the hill I stumbled upon
Cleaned the wares for something to eat
Got bestowed with a job and some earning
To later continue my journey in the dessert lands

Almost a year passed after meeting the king
Time to set out on to Egypt
Met an Englishman wanting to see an Alchemist
His books filled with the knowledge about alchemy -

The tribal wars threatening us
Silence indicating the eagerness
To reach the oasis
And take shelter amongst the palm trees -

One such early morning my eyes saw
The beautiful green, midst the yellow and blue
My eyes softened at the warm welcome
My heart swelled realising I'm close to my treasure.

I met a women near the well
The only one who hadn't covered her face
My heart twisted with the power of love
To a dessert woman for whom I would come back to -

In the desert two hawks crashed
The result of unknown alchemy and an omen
Made a warning reach the heads of the oasis
If threat not present, it may cost my head

No sooner were they attacked upon
The oasis safe and secure
With some gold as price I set out again
To reach the Pyramids in my dreams.

On the way out of the oasis
I met the Englishman's Alchemist
Two hundred years he is said to be
Making of lead into gold, he can achieve

Lessons learnt with the fabled Alchemist
A tribe attacked upon us
They said we passed through their enemies tribe
I now had to learn to control the wind -

With the immense power I unknowingly got
With the help of the old King and Alchemist
Upturned the tents and created a sandstorm
With the help of the sun, sand and wind

With the loss of gold I again set out on my journey
The monastery came next where the separations would take place.
But before he departed, the Alchemist showed me the impossible
Of lead turning to gold-

I set out alone this time with a piece of gold
The stones fell out from my bag
The only question I had, back then I asked
So this is the answer I got, the place where I was supposed to dig.

Three men, too curious peeped in
Robbed me for the riches
The miserable me said I just wanted my treasure
Embedded inside the soils before me

Laughing the man told his dream
About finding treasure in a church with a sycamore tree
My eyes widening in recognition of my shepherd days
And the church in which I had once slept.

All the way back the journey I made
The treasure I found in the church
Right under the sycamore tree they were
The place where I got my dream rewinded.

The old forgotten Spanish gold coins they were
A treasure in a real sense
But my soul had just one treasure
Away in the dessert lands

So that's where I went next...

~Priya K.
Drajen