The Sage (poem)

Walking in town on a busy afternoon

Came across a sidewalk sage
He was preaching that life was an illusion
I glared at him in astonishment
If life was an illusion, why did I hurt so
He smiled and kept on walking
And crying silent tears so did I

Next day in town, sun blazing bright
The sage was preaching to share our love
For that was the purpose for living
I asked him why love someone
When they just turn on you and leave you behind
He smiled and said “walk with me”
And with nothing else to do, I did

He shared his words with others
Health, love, happiness, life, being
Life was simply an illusion
Don’t sweat the small stuff
And he smiled a captivating smile
Most people steered clear of him
But some smiled back and their day was brighter

This kept up for a while then I had to go
He asked me what I had learned
I wasn’t sure, lost in my own thoughts
He said “see you tomorrow and start smiling”
I told him I could not smile any more
“Life has its ups and downs, don’t sweat it”
Smiling he waved and drew away in the distance

I returned back to my lonely place
Sadness flooding in as it always does
Dove into the normal daily frenzy
Cried myself into a restless sleep
In my dreams met a captivating woman
We fell deeply in love with each other
Held her for an eternity…and woke up

Saw my dream to be but an illusion
I had sadly waken up to my reality
Or was life really just an illusion
Would a smile really make things better?
Ignoring silent tears I gave it a try
After work went on a run into town
But the sage was not there

I missed him but eager to practice his lesson
I forced a smile upon my face
Some smiled back and their step was bouncier
Feeling a bit better the smile became real
Still I saw sadness in many smiling eyes
I discovered others were just like me!
But the smiles were healing us

All of a sudden the sage appeared
Great big smile beaming on his face
Asked me what I had learned
I smiled back finally grasping the lesson
He asked me why I was so sad
I started to tell him my sad tale
A story he surely has heard many times before

He said through good and bad life goes on
Living is what matters, otherwise we die
Most importantly we can choose
Whether or not we smile or pout
And through the sadness there’s still joy within us
And the world becomes a brighter place
When we share our love and light with others