Walking slowly along the winding Somlata Gorge;
I spotted time attempting to make its way into my day;
It only passed me by;
It sensed that I would have nothing to do with it, so it became nothing and faded into the mountainside;
Sheers of red, orange, and yellow rock seemed to pierce the pastel sky;
Trees covered the base of massive barron stones, which had to have been there as long as time had been;
Earth and time had spent some time, but as I fell further into Somlata the two of us were left behind; alone, together;
Time was out of sight;
Rocks and stones melted into the sea;
I found myself gently floating on the sandless shores of infinity;
I could neither look toward the past, the future provided no guidance;
I hoped that the waters of life would guide me through the overpowering depths and raging waters of this gorge;
Begging simplicity to throw me on its shores;
If eternal, unable to relate, neither beginning nor end can fix this state;
If no end, where to begin a journey through a gorge?
Lakshmi, a spiritual essence ascended from the waters, shimmering above a lilly pad the size of my thoughts;
She kindly asked, “where are you going?”
I am, trying to find time. I am not sure where time went;
I let it pass me by and it faded into the mountainside;
I stood on the stones called Sun; they melted into the sea and I found myself gently floating on the sandless shores of infinity;
Only allowing the waters of life to show me how I might be;
You, Lakshmi, emerged from the waters of my soul, on this lilly the size of my thoughts, and you asked, “where are you going?”
I told you that I was trying to find time;
The moment between your initial question and my response, time came and stood before me; just as you emerged from the waters of my soul;
Time, a construct of an infinite moment allowed me to stand still among my thoughts long enough to understand that time was always here;
Neither begins nor ends; Time is unable to be found in its truest form;
As I initially began to find time, I ceased to allow myself to exist in the most precious moment, this moment in Time. So, I stopped, slowly turning, retracing my steps through the Somlata Gorge – I spotted time attempting to pass me by.
REVISED VERSION
Slowly wandering along the winding Somlata Gorge, I glimpsed time timidly trying to make its way into my day. But as soon as I tried to grasp it, time slipped through my fingers and disappeared into the mountainside, leaving me with nothing but the striking red, orange, and yellow rocks piercing the pastel sky.
The massive barren stones covered in trees had been there as long as time itself, and as I delved deeper into Somlata, time seemed to fade away, leaving me alone with Earth. Rocks melted into the sea, and I found myself adrift on the shoreless expanse of infinity, unable to look back to the past or find guidance for the future.
I begged simplicity to rescue me from this state and guide me through the overpowering depths and raging waters of the gorge. But if time is eternal, without beginning or end, how can I hope to relate to it, let alone find it? How can I begin a journey through a gorge with no end?
As I pondered these questions, a spiritual essence named Lakshmi rose from the waters and asked me where I was going. I replied that I was trying to find time, but even as I spoke, time materialized before me, a construct of an infinite moment that eluded my grasp.
I realized then that time had always been here, neither beginning nor ending, unable to be found in its truest form. As I retraced my steps through Somlata, I glimpsed time once more, trying to slip past me. But this time, I allowed myself to exist in the most precious moment, this moment in time, and simply watched as time passed me by.