Zen, but what then?

Spoken word piece written and performed in early 2018

A journey begins when I thought it would end
I’m left with a question: “zen, but what then?”

It’s being enlightened and still frightened
Aware but still scared
Woke and feel broke

When I never really needed fixing

And while blinded by my self-made crown of thorns slipping
I spent so much time searching for something that’s missing

Because it’s impossible search for our own eyes

And yet, to my surprise
I find this Realness
It sits in the Stillness

Hiding behind ego
Waiting to free flow
Aligned with the divine
And by divine, I mean mind
And by mind, I mean mine
And by mine, I mean ours

From the same stuff of stars

They shined for so long and traveled so far
To remind us that
They’re already here.
They’re already us
They’re already me
They showed up, why can’t we?

Right now, no more “when” or “what then”
So we can transcend our gender and skin.
And also money and fame
They don’t define true worth
That fortune was already given at birth
That limelight was already shining within
Just like our cosmic brethren

It seems so hard to be in the Now
Cuz we spend too much time trying to figure out how
But all we need is that Realness for us to take part
Being “woke” is not the end goal. It’s just how the day starts.