Buddhism: Islands

we are islands

I am an island,

A small mountain surfacing

From the sea of samsara.

My ego arises.

It sits atop the summit

Surveying its surroundings.

It grasps at reality,

Making its models,

Marking its maps.

These I desire.

These I despise.

These are friends.

These are foes.

These are not real.

Merely markings

on a mental map.

I do not see the truth

That is buried beneath

the waves of awareness.

The island that is me,

The island that is you,

The islands that surround us,

All are peaks of a greater mountain,

A universal oneness that lies below.

Reviews

[Sharon L.H. Kelly]

Excellent use of metaphors to convey human emotions. Well done!