Definitions

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