I had a chat with a friend whom I met
Who had just returned from a trip to Tibet
In a world beset with hunger and strife
He set out in search for the meaning of life
It was a perilous journey
Filled with hazards and trauma
‘Til he finally found
The much acclaimed Lama.
My friend asked the question,
He could no longer wait.
The old man seemed to hesitate.
“As simplistic,” said the monk, “as it may seem,
Life is like a mountain stream
It starts at the top, then I’m sorry to say,
That it’s downhill all the rest of the way.”
My friend returned home depressed and dejected
The answer was far from what he had expected
Saddened to see my friend in a slump
I said “life’s more like a fountain
With a recycling pump.”
My assessment renewed him,
(I don’t want to seem flip.)
But if he had come to me first,
I could have saved him the trip!
Geraldine Forer Spagnoli