Buddha Answered! Poem by Eric Cockrell

i looked in the mirror,
and saw all of time,
the history of the ages,
creation and destruction.
saw passion and faith,
wars, freedom, and hunger.
saw the murderer and the murdered,
the philosopher, and the thief.
saw both justice and injustice,
ignorance and understanding.
saw peoples of all colors,
crying out for help.
saw fury and forgiveness,
saw beauty and ugliness.
saw the face of my neighbor,
saw the image of God...
i shook my head,
and looked again...
and saw an old man familiar,
saw the hand of the wind...
and Buddha answered,
with the smile of silence!