Drown the Night

THREE

I was smoking and drinking heavily,
as I dwelt in my minds complexity.
There was joy and a sense of agony,
while my tide was rising exponentially.

I thought about life and the need to be,
Wondered, why we're plagued by so much stupidity.
The reason, of course, was uncalled-for vanity,
And the fact that we'd die, served for more irony.

The question was, what more did I need to see,
To overcome my innermost redundancy.
I tried so hard to become entirely free,
But the outside world was relentlessly fighting me.

The imperative to hunt, to kill, to hide repeatedly
And the circle of thoughts seemed so endlessly.
Maybe my will to exist was consistently
Blocking the way to my true identity.

I can't really say, if this moment of subtlety,
Has helped me progress or destroyed my integrity.
The vision itself may present an essential key,
For me to unlock and disengage from bad company.

#65

Kira dropped Chris off for his first study session at the headquarter of the 'Path To Strength'. Chris was nervously excited, for he wasn't really sure what to expect. Devotional, he made his way through the vast hallways of the main building and finally entered the teaching room. To his surprise, he was one of the last to arrive. Over 25 other students in and around his age, were already gathered inside the small room and crouched down on the carpet. Chris sat down in the front row and was shy to take a look around. The other students were all faced towards the front wall and kept almost motionless. When one of them caught Chris peering around, he received an exigent look. He understood and his head faced the front wall from then on. Chris stared at the white, empty texture of the wallpaper and waited. After an estimated hour, Chris wasn't so sure if he was in the right room, but as the other students remained calm and patient, so did he. Nobody talked or moved, until the door finally opened up. A bright, kind-looking man entered with a huge smile. He stopped in front of his students and examined their faces, one after another. He took his time and granted his attention to every student in the room, before he finally addressed them with his speech.

"I guess congratulations are in order, don't you think? You, my lovely students, have already made the fist step towards greatness. And it is my personal honour to welcome you to the first ring of the path. Please applaud yourselves."

The man's fine robe swung with every move and his protruding gestures made him bigger than he actually was. When he started to clap his hands, his students followed. Chris' stomach started to tickle and a warm feeling of happiness and sudden belonging overcame him.

"My name is René. I will be your personal mentor from now on. Please be assured, that you are allowed to ask me anything. Any question entering your still so very untrained minds, you can direct at me. Weather it's a personal one, or a question concerned with the path. I am here to listen and to help."

René examined the young faces and bathed in his student's attention.

"Some of you might still be wondering, why it is so very important that you are here. Or maybe, why your parents made an effort to have you join the path. Well, the simple answer would be, because they want you to strive. They want you to be happy and to make the most out of your lives."

René held his breath and underlined the importance of what was to follow.

"The complicated answer is that there are certain values, which need to be taught, understood and lived. You see, with the right set of personal and interpersonal values, you will always have a guideline, which gives you confidence throughout your life. Because life can be tough and it will throw things at you, which you can't always understand. And maybe some of you have already witnessed, that the people in our modern society are so very disoriented and lost ... and do you know why?..."