Those Who Wander Poem by Alice Baudoin

-to Amitabh Bachchan-


“Those who wander along the beach
Find conches and shells
But those who dare to venture
Into the depth of the ocean
Discover precious pearls...”

Of blindness must we suffer not to see
The hidden pearl into the imperfection

How many lives
May pass around us
Before we notice beauty,
Force, or splendor

Soul-stirring people in the day
Arose to my eyes
Somebody thinking of ending her life
Somebody terminally ill,
Praying for courage
In the ones that will be left behind

So many people we don’t look upon
Because they don’t seem good enough
Bright enough
To get our admiration
Spectacular enough
Young enough
Or maybe rich enough
Joyful enough
Or full of life enough
To catch our eye
To light our glim
Our interest or our closeness...

How much distress
And how much desolation
Must we endure now
Before we see them
Embrace them
Treasure them
Learn from them
Cry with them
Grow with them

They slide unobserved
Soul-stirring
Like shadows
Shadows of thoughts that we are
Sky-stirring

Those who wander along life
Find conches and shells
But those who dare to venture
In the depth of the soul
Find pearls