Follow Me

Photo by Jehyun Sung on Unsplash

We are so deeply lost in the illusion of control,
We think we each must hold a grand and all-important role.
We chase dreams of acquisition, we build taller walls and fences,
And at night we sharpen our claws and line up our defences.

We want to build an empire with intellectual bricks,
And when others won’t think like us, we cry and scream and kick.

We’re all deeply invested in a dangerous belief:
That to have no followers is a source of serious grief.

But… where will they follow us? Where do we intend to go?
What are we trying to teach here? Really – What do we know?

Are we so blinded by our egos, that we cannot see
that each being has inside themselves the knowledge that they need -
That each holds deep within themselves the power to be free?
That no preacher or guru can teach me how to be me?

Are we so eager to share every bit of information
That we shrivel when it’s not met with applause and with elation?
Are we so lost that we can’t look our own self in the eye
and ask with bare-faced honesty – really, Who am I?

Who am I without the need for continuous praise?
Who am I without a self-important trail to blaze?
Who am I when I’m not telling others what to do –
or following what they say, in hopes that they will like me too?

Who are we
when we step away from others’ business?
Who are we
when we just take on the role of witness
and let others express themselves just as they may be
without our lens of judgement (which really doesn’t help us see)?

Who are we when we stop trapping others in a cage
Created by ideals born in our own specific age,
Too often born of fear and fuelled, then, by rage?

Who are we when we’re not trying too hard to lead or follow?
Who are we when we’re not laying bricks out for tomorrow -
for the future we desire, insisting it will come true…
Who am I when I’m not trying to control you?

Who am I
When I just let myself and others be?

Who am I
When I set myself and others free?

Who am I
And who are we?