I looked inside myself
I looked outside myself for happiness
but everything I found disappointed me.
Beautiful places became familiar.
Precious objects lost their lustre.
Success and achievements felt hollow.
No matter what I gained, it was never enough.
I looked for love from others
but every love was incomplete.
Bliss turned to blame and betrayal.
Bonds that seemed unbreakable
were worn away by clutching and clinging.
No matter who I loved, they let me down.
Then with nowhere else to turn, I looked inside myself.
I found a space of being, as wide as the world.
I learned to rest there, and sensed a natural ease
flowing like fresh water from an underground stream.
I felt the warm glow of my essence, like an inner sun
radiating pure love and acceptance.
Then I looked outside myself again
and saw beauty that never turned stale.
I savoured objects without wishing to own them.
I felt content without success or achievement.
I felt whole, so didn’t need others to complete me.
And I loved others without trying to possess them.
I looked outside myself again
and found that I was happy
and that I could love.
Steve Taylor
18 November 2023
