Through orange orchards they trotted
Through clear streams we waded
It was the summer of our life
Even in the winter storm
The summer of allure, of camaraderie
But it lacked something,
It provided our basic needs, food and water
And with Serenity and Friendship
It gave us breath and a heart beat
But the soul shivered

Up on a plateau
100 steps
Lay a stream

He ran to quench the thirst of his soul
Drinking from the stream

The water gave life
It gave us bold shadows and vivid reflections
Without it our eyes would not wet, our body would not shake

Are we not human?
Can we not bleed like Jesus?
We still love as we did, we still hate
The body hasn’t changed
But only the mind
We feel fear and sadness differently
But our sweat, blood and tears the same

It fuelled not only the bulbs but also the roots
The eyes saw the water enter the lips
But the heart into the soul

A vast sea of tears and a drop of blood
Poses guilt on the seas
Or when in the heart of the night
A little light brings back day

The water reminded him of his youth
But age takes all
His body began to lack splendour and strength
Looks, Wealth are horses but Integrity, Grit a dog rubbing your legs

Then came a deluge
And vast floods
And the island where the man, his dog and horses
Came a pack of wolves and a clan of serpents
The beauty left with the horses in the deep of the night
But the dog stood beside him, a warrior
Attacking the wolves but he fell at their mercy
His carcass fell into a pool of blood but he became one with his master

His master gained his inner flame
The wolves surrounded him
Moving ever so close, waiting to pounce
The end in the skies
He defends himself and sets death upon the pack

He reaches the serpent’s lair
And one by one death becomes them
But alas one serpent hidden upon rocks
Strikes from behind with a mortal blow

The man reaches back clutching the serpent’s neck
Knowing the path is at its end
Compassionate overtakes him and he sets him free
He walks into the water and disappears under the waves.

The soul in his body has awoken
He remembered the master and his dog
And how even in a sea of people one can shudder alone on an island
He bades farewell and begins the journey home