Nirvana

Her wings grew but were never earned.
They sprouted into existence
like whales leaping from the water's surface

lost against the backdrop of endless sea.

Their purpose was lost upon her.
Wings that could not lift her up;
that could not bring her high enough

to fall to the dust and suffer.

She stayed close to the soil,
her body and soul attached to the earth
like a lion bathing in skylight,

but never leaving the ground.

Her eyes would wonder beyond her life
and glimpse sparrows dancing above.
They would carry the colors of galaxies

and sing the songs of the cosmos.

Although they could not teach her to fly
or to hum the aria of nirvana,
when they grew weak and fell from the heavens

she would catch and mend their broken wings.

The sparrows would never touch the ground
and she would never sail with them.
But with her love they would always climb again

and she would never be alone.