Simply Everything

By Peter K. Lam

With the sun gradually setting,
signaling the end of a day,
I walk from the shore
toward the ocean and setting sun.
Submerging into the water,
the crisp cold stuns me for only seconds.
My body heat lowers
matching that of the water.
Then I begin to swim.

Darkness surrounds me
and only the sun provides me light.
Its rays reflect off the surf
paving a clear golden path.
Tearing through the ocean current,
I feel free and the water soothes me.
I stride with every stroke.
Each stroke beckons more strength,
and I answer with more intensity
as I follow the sunlight’s path.

Swimming sets me free,
allowing me to venture the vastness of the sea.
The horizon that lies beyond seems distant
but with effort, that distance ceases to exist.
As the sun sinks below the horizon,
the path is lost but I continue on
for I know without the sun’s light
there will still be the stars to guide me.

By Peter K. Lam

Now…
My mind is like space, open and vast
I absorb everything that crosses my path
Venturing into a place many have not traveled
This is only the beginning, the journey has yet to unravel

Descend four flights of the stairs of time
Four years younger, sixteen this time

16…
My mind is like a dense fog
I cannot see what is ahead
No matter how fast I jog
I cannot clear my head

Descend four flights of the stairs of time
Four years younger, twelve this time

12…
My mind is like the air
It is everywhere
Wandering the world in awe
Everything is new, nothing is too far

Descend seven flights of the stairs of time
Seven years younger, five this time

5…
My mind is like an open book
The imagination runs wild
Nothing can surprise this book
Even though I’m only a child

Descend five flights of the stairs of time
Five years younger, at birth this time

Birth…
My mind is like an eye
I can see everything
It’s like being the catcher in the rye
I understand nothing

The mind is something fragile
It changes over time
The mind is never the same
Even when you look at it a second time