Requiem Poem by Alonso Menendez

Requiem



Na na na na, na na na na
Hey hey hey, gooddbye

The coffin is lowered into the ground
By cranks which turn making a creaking sound
Joining with the wind and soft rain
Into melancholy rhythms that somehow soothe the pain
From across the sky clouds painted gray
Crying tears over the coffin where the body lay
An empty shell from whose appearance I once new
The spirit that cast it aside for the journey to continue
The wheel turns and a new day begins
Once again reborn to the world of pleasure and sins
This is “samsara”- just a game we play
To make things interesting as we go on our way
So we collect scraps of paper to get the right clothes
Making sure to get the name everyone knows
Hack apart our bodies and sew them back together
Looking for beauty and making it last forever
Money, gold chains, flashy style, bling-bling
And all the amenities these things bring
Cap it off with the right automobile
Playing the game that can never be real
For as we journey
Through eternity
These things fade
As the end comes to each game played
And while we must all play the game to some degree
It is from the mentality
That we must break free
Or we will see
Our sorrows and pains
Form iron chains
While the pleasures we hold
Form chains of gold
Keeping the spirit weighted down
In an ocean of suffering forced to drown
Never breaking the surface and so Nirvana inhale
Never seeking the truth beyond the veil
Content to be the rat in the maze
Path laid out by the latest craze
Seems a poor path to follow
Leaving the spirit tired and hollow

Jesus was walking down the road
Carrying the cross that is his load
Preaching a gospel of truth and love
Wherein each, as he, is the incarnation of God above
That which is due Caesar, from Rome do not part
But it is to the Father, not Rome, we owe our heart
“Love thy neighbor as you would thy brother
If he strike one cheek, offer him the other”
And I could see the wisdom of his teaching
But while I agreed with his preaching
Still my spirit cried for more
An understanding of the existence we struggle for
So I thanked him for his words and bid him journey fair
That I might continue down the road and take this path I dare

After a time an angry mob of people came
They were looking for Jesus while praising his name
In their hands was held hammer and spike
Seems there was a few things they still didn’t like
They wanted to nail Jesus back onto that cross
They would bind and gag him for their cause
Keeping his image while substituting their word
And desiring to part from this company most disturbed
I directed them the opposite way from Jesus
Then made my own way with little fuss
Where they ended up, who can tell?
But Lord knows in my heart I hoped it was Hell

Seeking to insure the success of my flight
I proceeded hastily into the envelope of night
Until I saw a light shining from a cave
Which I approached silent like the knave
And there I saw him engaged in meditation
As I was overcome by the sensation
That I had seen him before
The appearance was different so it was something more
Something in the eyes
Of one who sees where truth lies
I remembered Jesus had that look
Then he began to write in the book
And not knowing what else to do
I entered the cave asking “Is it you? ”
Whereupon he answered “I am Mohamed
I offer you shelter and bread”
So I had my fill but did not stay
Feeling it time I be on my way
Saying good-bye, I saw him smile
“We shall meet again after a while
The journey towards Mecca is in the life you choose
Of this fact, sight do not lose”
As I made my way I heard gunshots and people dying
All in Allah’s name I heard them crying
And from Mohamed’s eyes I could see a tear
As from my view he did disappear
So once again words of peace are used for war
I don’t understand what the fighting is for

Into the wilderness I fled
Dark confusion reigning in my head
Forests of ignorance and fear
The ever presence of death uncomfortably near
I ran until I was lost
But I could not escape the holocaust
The ground oozed blood
Making it thick like mud
No way to wash off the stain
Cries in the distance of anguish and pain
My spirit started to fold
Inside feeling numb and cold

Emerging from the mist, I could not see him clear
But as he approached I was filled with fear
Skin was pale with eyes black as coal
With the power to see the weakness in the soul
“Are you not proud of your creation” came a mocking tone
But this was the destruction of others, not my own
The air filled with a foul stench
As he came closer I could feel my gut wrench
“Think you your conscience clear
For being absent to what happened here
From the angry mob you ran
To stop the fighting you did not stand
Everyone is responsible for everything
This is the consequence free choice does bring
You bit into the fruit but were afraid to swallow
So now in ignorance continue to wallow
The truth is before you but you refuse to see
In your image you created me
I will live forever in your heart
From your side I will never part”
“Who are you? ” I cried, “What is your name? ”
“What is yours? ” his reply, “It is one and the same
But if you wish to continue the charade
Playing the game while the truth you evade
Then call me Lucifer, reaper of sorrows
Destroyer of dreams, hopes and tomorrows”
So I lunged forth at the beast
Hoping to end his feast
And with one blow make things right
Blotching his image from the worlds sight
But that’s when I saw what could not be
For what I saw was the reflection of me
As my fist smashed into his face
I crashed to the ground as broken mirrors fell all over the place
Darkness fell, flooded by light
It’s reflection in the mirrors blinding my sight

So where do I go?
What path to follow?
Does it matter
In what direction we scatter?
These thoughts so occupied my mind
That I did not hear him come from behind
“Greetings my brother” I heard him say
“It is a fine fine day”
He was tall and dark with nappy dread
Eyes of fire burning red
I said, “It’s a day as is any other
What’s fine in a world where we kill one another”
He replied, “It is good that you feel sadness
But you should also feel gladness
Break the path that takes you
Make the path that makes you
Soon enough shall come Zion’s call
And as prophesized Babylon shall fall
Elevate yourself from man’ malice”
Then he proceeded to pass me the chalice
And I and I sat with Jah Rastafari
Praising Him most high, high, high
As he turned and went on his way
He said, “Remember brother, it is a fine fine day”

So now with renewed energy
I continued on my journey
Approaching a grove as the sun went down
He was seated at the center with trees all around
Tired and old, with gentle eyes he called to me
He was weak with shallow breath I could clearly see
“I am Buddha who has come before and will come again
To alleviate the suffering in this world of men”
I fell to my knees and began to weep
Soon he, this world would no longer keep
“Do not cry for me” I heard him say
“Everything fades, nothing escapes decay
In your own heart watch for temptation
With diligence look to your own salvation”
Then he gave me the lotus blossom from his hand
Which I accepted though I still did not understand
He smiled as he lay down facing towards the west
Placing on leg over he was mindful and self-possessed
He closed his eyes and there with him I stayed
Until the light did finally fade

No answers, only questions
No solutions, just suggestions
And so the wisdom of Cratylus shows
Wagging his finger where ever he goes
Words are the corruptors of thought
And there is a knowledge that cannot be taught
Enlightenment is hardest found by those who seek
The path to Nirvana, for each of us is unique
It matters not to which God we pray
What is done in faith with love will never lead astray
Even the wicked we must love from the heart
Before the fall of Babylon can start
For it is from within that the evolution must begin
Only then can it be applied
To the world that exists outside
Then from these chains we can set ourselves free
And learn to live in harmony

Listen to the sound of the trees
As they dance in the breeze
The flow of the river, the song of the birds
All voices without the words
Listen with your soul and it will be clear
It’s the voice of God we hear
There is more to be learned from a newborn baby’s cry
Than the most expensive computer you can buy
Listen with your soul
Listen to the whole

The rain began to fall so I sought shelter beneath the Bodhi tree
As I felt a great thirst come over me
I drank the water as it collected on the leaf
Then I grew tired as I felt relief
I fell asleep beneath the full moons light
It was God who spoke to me that night
He spoke in the voice of the wind and the rain
He spoke in the voice of those dying in pain
He spoke in the voice of the laughter of innocents
He spoke in the voice of the sounds we call silence
A million voices all converge
Till only one does emerge
And in this voice I heard God’s poem
One word repeated eternal “Om”

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