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Journey
(this was written for a school assignment, I'm not a religious fanatic)
(March 1999)

Jesus, Saviour, Bread and Wine--
  Formidable yet empty, frowned I.
Exists there no other food
  To nourish my barren soul?

Lands exotic and faraway
  Beckoned with the promise of new hope.
Travelled I to India,
  But Brahman I could not find.

Hungry from trav'lling, I rejoiced
  At the flesh of cows that ambled past.
"Cows are sacred, don't you know?"
  Townspeople exclaimed with ire.

Partook not I in Hindu laws,
  Where the Caste binds one 'til Death do come,
But the promise of rebirth
  Prompted offerings to the gods.

Mind perturbed, I paced to and fro,
  Thinking all is illusion -- maya --
How shall I achieve moksha,
  The path of enlightenment?

Mumbled a contorted body,
  "Moksha comes when the mind is at peace."
Replied I, "Maya's better,
  For the world is but a stage."

On I travelled to Lotus Land,
  Steeped in the wisdom of Yin and Yang.
Off'rings made to ancestors,
  I started for the hamlet.

Inside a schoolyard, children play;
  No fights, no curses -- I was amazed.
Inquired who their teacher was,
  They replied,"Confucius."

At last, a perfect religion
  Where education and good conduct
Are virtues highly praised, and
  Adopted by everyone.

Learned I teachings from Analects --
  "He who learns but does not think is lost..."--
Learned I also of I Ching.
  Interpreter of kismet.

"Is this utopia?" asked I,
  "It is filled with Jen -- good-heartedness."
The children, with vacant eyes,
  Obediently, nodded.

Shivering from an unknown cause,
  I journeyed onward, and came upon
Some Taoist monks proing o'er
  A volume called Tao Te Ching.

"Empty yourself of everything.
  Let the mind rest at peace," uttered one.
"A good walker leaves no tracks,"
  Another exclaimed aloud.

So absorbed were they in nature,
  In philosophies, in wise saws, that
They noticed not my approach
  Until I said,"Show me Tao."

Chuckling softly, the monks queried,
  "Tell us wherefore the Way should be shown."
Whereupon I listed all
  My achievements, hopes, and dreams.

Sadly, the Taoists shook their heads.
  "Human achievement is foolish, for
Evoke they envy and bile."
  Head bowed; I soon took my leave.

"Live life simply," echoed the trees.
  Wherefore art suitable faiths hard-found?
There must be a religion
  Awaiting...waiting...for me.

Readily I entered Japan
  To stand outside a monastery,
Until admittance inside
  As a follower of Zen.

Hardships abound for Zen Buddhists
  From dawn 'til dush, meditating still.
Swollen shoulders, stiff muscles;
  Shivering throughout the night.

"What's the sound of one hand clapping?''
  Demanded the koan of my mind.
Twisted logic I knew not:
  Bechanced failure once again.

"Live life simply," proclaimed Zen monks
  As I rinsed cups with remaining tea,
And my teeth with salt water.
  Wasting never, wanting not.

O-Bon and Hana Matsuri,
  Festivals of reunion and light,
Were but memories long past
  As I ventured a new trail.

Passing 'neath a Torii, I
  Cleansed my soul for the way of the gods.
"Amaterasu," I cried,
  "Shine your light upon my path!"

"What is it that you wish to learn?"
  Glided a priest into the courtyard.
"Teach me renewal in faith,
  Enlighten me in Shinto!"

"Give thanks to nature all around,
  Join in the rhythm of the seasons,
Pay tribute to the kami --
  That is the way of the gods."

From wolf to hunter's, moons flew by,
  Values clashed and dissatisfied I
With the divination of
  Ancestors, heroes, and kings.

Bidding Nippon a fond farewell,
  I welcomed Petra, city of stone.
Beneath veils and sari, I
  Stepped into sacred Al Deir.

"Foreigner," questions came my way,
  "Heard you of Muhammad and the Night
Of Power and Excellence?"
  "Not I," humbly I whispered.

"A message was sent from above,
  And so Muhammad began his quest
'Gainst immorality and
  Polytheism," they said.

Precise as clockwork came a shout.
  Then, facing Mecca, genuflected all.
Words poured forth from the Koran --
  Six times a day, I soon learned.

Awoke I to the chime of coins:
  "Purity of heart is poor-due paid."
Hunger I complained not of:
  "Ne'er break fast in Ramadan."

Smiling blithely, the Muslims asked,
  "Trav'ller, come you with us on the hajj?"
Sighing wearily, I said,
  "Islam's customs I grasp not."

Parting from Jordan I marched on,
  When at last I entered Palestine,
Where some red-faced Rabbis stood
  Mutt'ring about the Tanak.

"We are the Chosen, Torah proved."
  "Then why the suffering, why the pain?"
"Kosher laws we must abide."
  "But wherefore this martyrdom?"

Gloom of silence fell like mist,
  Stifling Rosh Hashanah's merriment.
Venture closer I dare not,
  'Til sun, from hiding, peeked out.

"Don't worry about tomorrow,
  Who knows what will befall you today?"
Wisdom from Talmud revealed.
  Rabbis nodded, strolled away.

Approached my way a young Jewess:
  "Wait you for Messiah's coming too?"
I nodded and she uttered:
  "May He lead us to vict'ry!"

Dumbfounded, I spoke not a word,
  'Til chasm between beliefs discerned.
Said the Jewess, "Sorry, but
  Mingle I not with Christians."

Dismally, the Jewess and I
  Bid each other a wordless farewell.
Sailed I back to Kanata,
  To find faith closer to home.

The heartbeat of a people strong
  Pulsated across the pristine shore.
Swiftly glided my canoe
  Toward the Place of Meeting.

Drums and feathers, sonorous chants,
  Interwove with the dancers' rhythm:
"O Great Spirit in the Sky,
  Pray quench the thirst of the land."

A young Ojibwa turned to me:
  "Prepare I now for the vision quest."
And silently vanished he
  Into a misty sweat lodge.

"I hope he finds his true spirit,"
  Murmured a shaman, eyeing the youth.
In agreement, I nodded.
  "I hope I will find mine too."

Borne by the wind, an eagle soared
  Over the whispers of foaming waves.
Screeched it one, twice, and three times;
  Then, like mist, faded away.

"They will soar on wings like eagles..."
  Flashed Isaiah's words across my mind,
"Those who hope in the Lord will
  Renew their strength," they maintained.

Fallacies have befallen me;
  "The Lord's my Shepherd, I shall not want."
My soul finally fulfilled,
  Reconciled I now with God.

As the roseate hue of dawn
  Splashed across the land, the sweet fragrance
Of peace pipes permeated
  The intang'ble hearts of men.

Bid I my Native friends farewell.
  Jesus, I return to you with joy!
World-weary traveller, I,
  Ready for my faith at last!