From a tear drop of Avalokitesvara
You came to us -
Beautiful, tranquil, loving and kind,
Oh Tara,
In you I seek refuge.
We hide behind our masks
Of indifference or toughness,
We try hard to do the things
That gives us comfort;
We try to numb the pain
And to delay the time of death,
And yet some of us indulge
To hasten our own deaths.
We pretend that we can cope
When we are falling apart;
We avoid eye contact with each other
In fear of revealing our hearts.
Oh Tara,
In you I seek refuge.
We hide behind a façade of busyness;
Artists filling their canvases with paint,
Indignant activists fighting for change,
Designers showing off their latest creations
For those who live for trends,
Humanitarians desperately helping the desperate,
Not wasting a moment in just staying still;
Cruel dictators ordering soldiers to kill
Anyone that they regard as enemies;
Politicians prioritising popularity
Above their true conscience;
Confused and lost,
Some of us wander around
Hearing voices in our heads,
Some of us seek safety in our
Little worlds of self indulgence;
Collecting friends, admirers
Or inanimate objects.
Oh Tara,
In you I seek refuge.
How long do we have be like this?
How many lifetimes do we have to live
Before we find solace from this ocean of suffering?
Oh Tara,
In your loving smile
I seek refuge.

Feraya