Tree Of Light

When I was a child I used to observe little black ants in my room gathered around a sugar cube that seemed huge for them. I was always surprised when I saw them carrying it outside into a hole in the corner. My mother always eased my amazement with the simple thought that faith could move mountains if I really believed. Over the years, I grew up to realize that faith is a personal painting on one's inner canvas that has a unique touch to it. It is only I who can perceive the strength of my faith and how I offer it to God. My faith was a seed sown in my heart in childhood but my own experiences and turns bloomed it into a lush tree that provides soothing shade on sunny days. The oars of my faith sparkle with a light in turbulent oceans to row my boat as far as I choose to nurture them with goodwill. As long as I value every human I meet as another child of God and be honest to my duties, I have something to believe in and my faith will keep growing into a divine garden from where I can sow a seed in another heart and wait till it blooms.

an infant seed sown 

lush tree of light in garden

faith blooming with truth

*This poem has been written using the Japanese Haibun form(invented by Japanese poet Matsuo Basho) which is a prosimetric literary form that he used to combine elements of Chinese prose genres with Japanese haiku themes. The range of haibun is broad and frequently includes autobiography, diary, essay, prose poem,short story and travel journal. Each haibun must have a title, followed by a short prose-like paragraph. Afterward, a simple poetic haiku (three lines of 5,7,5 syllables respectively). A haibun may record a scene, or a special moment, in a highly descriptive and objective manner or may occupy a wholly fictional or dream-like space.The accompanying haiku may have a direct or subtle relationship with the prose and encompass or hint at the gist of what is recorded in the prose sections.*