Timeless Kaleidoscope
by Odin Roark

Mankind asks much of forever
while man’s inner child asks little.

Is there “a beyond” the cherry-on-top
or only the now of enjoying the red glory
being swallowed into one’s own black hole?

Is the present only today,
or is it all a magic forever moment,
regretting not the past,
nor fearing the future?

Does eternity have more cotton candy,
more swirling colors of joy,
more delicious surprises patiently waiting
for existence to migrate to the next carnival of joy?

And then…

Restless minds wonder who suffers most,
those whose faith says to wait at the bus stop called earth,
trusting transport will arrive and whisk them off,
or the ones who believe fulfilling the journey
doesn’t require blindly trusting an unknown carrier.

Forever trudging…

The inner-inner child,
sometimes called the poet in us all,
remains intrigued by the cherry’s stem,
rolling it between an index finger and thumb,
pondering when purpose is served,
when like everything else,
it too will return to dust,
exploring the cosmic now,
the endless self of a kaleidoscopic reality.