An Elephant Goddess

If I were to worship an elephant goddess,
Would she deliver me down to the devil?

When the universe sighs for love,
Exhaling crimson clouds,
Does it betray every faith not its own?

Who can discover the mother of all,
When she inhabits unlimited worlds?

One becomes many
     And many give joy to
          The sole source of all.

Each drop of rain brings relief
From the pain of separate lives
     Lived all over again.

Wisdom is found, not by one,
Not by two, but by several tracks
     Through the forest.

Perhaps we will meet with a smile,
If we can learn to travel a mile
     On paths not our own.

Follow the footsteps of those
Who have roamed for ages
Before us—their trails will uncover
     The many ways home.


©2016 Michael Fraley




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