As I let go of the load I've been hoarding for so long
I realize each piece defined me somehow, at some point in time
I was once a pianist
Then a basketball player, and then a dancer
But that wasn't enough
I felt I needed more definitions, more masks to wear, so
I became a teacher
And have been holding onto this mask for along time
For a while I was a student
I truly enjoyed this one, identified with the role
At one point I was an artist
Clay took over my heart, hands and mind
After wearing the life of a linguist for a season
I changed paths and became a yogini
With the blessings of Shiva
and the teachings of Patanjali
So many definitions... who am I, really?
One day, the one who blessed me said,
"Before you build a new world, you must destroy the existing one."
He crushed it with his Nataraja
And the destruction began
The first mask to go - the teacher
Followed by the artist and the linguist
I'm not a dancer, or a pianist any longer
Left basketball long ago
Cleaning up, letting go
I see all these definitions leaving my being.
Now I feel like a white canvas
Empty, clean, ready
I don't know what the Universal Artist will draw on it
But I'm open to the new
Not to be defined as such
Not to be attached for very long
So I can let it go when the time comes
Graciously... to become a white canvas again
And experience more of this journey.
Namaste
