Connected Worlds of Light

We used to light our lamps
solely by the sun in the sky,
forgetting the glow of dandelions,
the golden tips of treetops,
the oval ripples of moving water,
transporting reflections from
one part of the stream to another.

We forgot about the sparked light of ideas
seen in the eyes of those who create,
the warmed hearth light of those
who listen with compassion,
the love light of someone
who shines all of their attention
on those in their care.

We also forgot about the tunnels of light
that live and reign within us,
the single flower of persistence
residing in the soul,
the steadfast belief in not just ourselves
but in the promise of this world—
that it will still be here tomorrow.

On days when rain blurs our vision
and the opening to the heart seems small,
we must remember the vast lake of life
existing inside each being,
the trees, the fertile soil,
the window to other connected worlds.
All of this lives and keeps living.