How The Old Man Found God’s Peak

When I was no more than three,
I saw in my dreams,
in a far away magical land,
a Mountain High,
Higher than the Heavens.

The peak was lost in the clouds,
so I could not see,
more than forests and slopes.

Here and there, but not everywhere,
I saw single souls climbing fearlessly,
tightly clutching onto rock outcroppings
or scaling bark-covered trees,
sometimes slipping, but never retreating.

At the base of Mountain High,
scurried innumerable people, like little ants,
seemingly obvious to Mountain High.

Such little ants were chatters indeed,
complaining about this or that,
blaming their neighbor or king
for his wrong action.
Blame, blame, blame.
Gossip, gossip, gossip.

An old man on Mountain High
glanced over and saw me in the sky.
Smiling, he said, “Come with me little boy.”
And he did take me by the hand.

“Child, I am old and I shan’t reach God’s Peak in time.
But, I do have time to teach you my climber’s tricks
for I see you shall reach God’s Peak.”

“So, when such a Grand Day is reached,
look down again upon this Mountain Slope
and find me climbing once again.
I know I shan’t see you, dear Child,
but my wrists will feel your hands
pulling me up when I am too tired to move.”

And the Old Man and I climbed together
for many years and he did teach me as he had said.
One morning, my dear friend did not rise to greet the sun,
so I made him a pyre so to send his soul off.

Yes, I did one day reach God’s Peak,
and on that Day, I knew God as God knew me.

Each morning, I gazed down the Mountain High,
one day, I saw my dear friend climbing once again.
He was old with another Child by his side.

Now, I could see his great chain of lifetimes,
so many spent scaling Mountain High,
sometimes alone, but mostly with a new Child,
who he had helped reach higher than he.

That night, I appeared before the sleeping Child
clothed in the Golden Light of a Mahadeva.
“Child, the time has come for the Old Man
to enter onto God’s Peak.”

“If you push and I pull, we can do this.
One day, Child, your time to reach God’s Peak
shall come due. And I shall return to help you.”

The Child did push and I did pull
and the Old Man did reach God’s Peak.
At this very moment, he beheld me once again
holding his wrists, keeping my essence promise.

The Old Man did say, “Old friend, you did return
as you had promised so many lives long ago.”

“Yes, Old Man, I came from friendship and
as Father and Mother said it was time for you to come Home.
For We saw that you would never return
for you always took a Child and
showed him how to climb even higher.”

“Do not fret, the Child knows there is such a Peak
and will meet with us when his work is done.
Come and meet Our Father and Mother.”