A Special Man
by Odin Roark

How mental the concept,
this birth and death distinction.

Existence is neither created or destroyed,
defiled nor immaculate,
increased nor decreased,
coming nor going,
one nor many.

All merely concepts.

Thus, he saw the true nature of all things,
that there was neither full nor empty,
birth nor death,
becoming nor dissolving.

Standing at the seashore,
he watched the waves rise and fall.
and like the blue water
frothing atop the sea,
he witnessed birthlessness
and deathlessness.

For like the waves,
be they long and short,
high or low,
waves rose and fell,
but the water remained.

His mind recorded
without water,
there could be no waves.
Waves returned to water.
Waves were water.
Water were waves.

He breathed in as the waves rose,
then out as they passed away,
understanding water and waves as one,
transcending man’s notion
of birth and death,
worry, fear or suffering.

Contemplating the wondrous nature of his epiphany,
he knew such wisdom was a liberation from all fear,
worry and suffering.

Being finally beyond
the world of birth and death,
he smiled and strode off.

He was a special man.