I met a man in simple clothes walking down the street
A smile upon his face, no shoes upon his feet
He greeted me, arms open, and asked, ‘how do you do?’
I smiled bemused and said, ‘I’m fine thanks, how are you?’
He grinned conspiratorially and gave me a small wink
‘I’m the richest man on earth dear boy, life’s going well I think’
‘The richest man on earth?’ I laughed, a little incredulously
‘Don’t suppose you fancy sharing some of that with me?’
He took my shoulders with intensity, caught me by surprise
‘My boy, I thought you’d never ask: look into my eyes’
And as I looked I fell, into pools of deepest blue
and saw his wondrous story, which I’ll now lay out for you:

He was born into this world with a spoon of gold upon his tongue, but all he ever wanted was to play out in the sun.  To feel the grass beneath his toes, watch the birds soar in the sky, he had so many questions and each one began with why. But his parents were too busy building wealth to answer him. They lived in a palace made of gold but were looking for more wins. Their boy seemed to have no interest in piles of jewels and gold, they couldn’t understand it, and so their son they sold, to a passing wanderer, he had no shoes upon his feet, it was a bargain, all he asked for was food that they could eat, and some seeds that they could plant and some tools to build a hut.  They could see they’d got the best deal, but kept their mouths tight shut. So the wanderer stopped his wandering, set up home while the boy grew, with the seedlings they had planted by their hut made of bamboo (complete with solar panels and a nifty compost loo). The boy found answers to his questions without ever asking why (the why was kind of pointless when you lived beneath the sky). The Earth revealed her secrets in her own good time, he listened to her teachings, he learned to read the signs. When he came of age the wanderer said, ‘it’s time to move your feet, walk barefoot into the world and see who you might greet. Take your knowing along with you, know what you are worth; my lad you truly are the richest man to live upon this Earth.’ So he too began to wander, and discovered much to see: Villages and cities, hives of productivity. But no one had a greeting for the wanderer with no shoes, not one person stopped to talk to him, ‘no time,’ was their excuse. And so he kept on wandering, his riches in his heart, waiting for a greeting, then his wealth he would impart. Then there came a boy, walking down the street, a bemused smile upon his face as man and boy now meet:

I saw myself reflected in those deepest pools of blue
And as crazy as it seems, I knew all I’d seen was true
Before me stood the richest man that walked upon this Earth
Rich in time, rich in connection, to the Mother of all birth
I smiled in wonder and acceptance of the greatest gift that he could give:
The knowing there’s a richer way for all of us to live.

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I’ve been reading Sharon Blackie’s The Enchanted Life and she writes a lot about her connection to the land, which I think inspired this poem. I live a very westernised existence, for which I am both grateful and at times perplexed. It can feel confusing balancing the knowing in my soul with day-to day life, but I feel that writing this blog, and in particular the poems with animal characters, helps me to connect more each day with the natural world and perhaps regain a little of what has been lost.

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Seems the more I go leaving home looking for
What I need’s been buried in my soul

-William Prince, Breathless (copyright Unichappell Music Inc., Obie Music Inc., Kmr Music Royalties Ii Scsp, Obie Music, Inc., William Prince Music Inc.)