EPHEMERAL ILLUSION

Liquid, smoke, capsule, powder
tablet, dab, harder, faster.
Vapour and fumes fill the air
throw it back, don’t doubt her.

Mellow out “Stay alive!”
the voice inside cries
her friends throw back another shot,
passing her the bottle, why not?

Making signs, she rubs her nose,
meeting upstairs with the bathroom door closed.
Laying out the fine crystal lines,
1, 2, 3, she feels divine.

Emerging from the porcelain chamber
enslaved by her senses, she disremembers
all of her attempts to try and enjoy
have only left her feeling like a playboy.

A so-called friend catches her eye
then his grin becomes quite sly
smiling and laughing, he hits her on the back
cackling, “I didn’t know you were into all that!”

Swiftly disappearing into the crowd
she bumps into someone particularly proud,
he grabs her tight and doesn’t let go
until she jabs him with her elbow.

The room spins, she turns around
sees her friend lying on the ground
she lost her clothes in a drinking game
barely breathing, she’s earning her fame.

Stumbling outside to get some fresh air
emerging into a smoke circle affair
someone passes her a joint to take a puff
hold it in, don’t cough, she wants to seem tough.

She’s hanging out in the back of someone’s car
chilling with a guy who’s going too far
night drags on ‘till the sun peeks through the trees
she’s caught in Kali’s disease.

TAKING OFF THE MASK

Walking down town she gets stopped by some punk
turns out he’s a monk
he’s showing around pictures about karma
talkin’ some nonsense about dharma.

This monk who shows her a book
tells her to take a look. He says:
“Sometimes you need to take the time to ask
Why we’re all hiding behind a mask.

“You’re carrying heavy karmic bags
trying to attract all the stags.
The pressure to be the best,
Makes it very hard to rest.

“The Self is very precious
My view on this is tendentious.
This body isn’t really you
So try to change your point of view.

In order to become stress-free
Understand this bhakti knowledge is the key.
Take this book and give it a read
Don’t be afraid to stop by to get good a feed.”

STAY HIGH FOREVER

Her voice inside gets louder
accumulating more power
stop trying to mitigate me out
that’s not what this life is about.

Her life has changed forever to be
now she questions, “Who is this person I claim to be me?”
Someone passes her a drink and says, “Don’t worry.
Have a sip and your life will be less blurry.”

She’s wasted more than just one year
and suddenly it all becomes very clear.
Who are these friends she thought she knew?
It’s very obvious that none of them have a clue

Remembering the monk from before
her mind starts to growl, I want to learn more
this time she listens and takes a stand
all she needed was a helping hand.

Straying away from her self-bound life
she finds herself without a single strife.
Her mind is ready to understand
Something she cannot google on demand.

Finding her way to a yoga centre
labelling herself as quite an experimenter
she sits in a crowded room
listening to the sound her heart has longed to consume

The mantra is nothing like she’s heard before
it makes her real self want to roar.
Before she knows, she’s jumping up and down
dancing in ecstasy, she’s finally been found!

The music stops and the food comes out
she’s immersed in euphoria without a doubt
Why would she ever want to leave this place?
Thanks to a stranger’s amazing grace.

Liquid, bhakti, pure, shakti
finally getting real knowledge
intoxication lost in the dust of time
and it can all be said with a good rhyme.