Whispering Wonders

Several years I left Byron for a trip around the world, to see and explore the many places

that had a special appeal at various phases of my life.

In some ways this was a pilgrimage, seeking sources of the modern Australian identity,

including the Burma Railway and Gallipoli, embracing the genesis of our culture

and the truth beyond this.

The context, people and places, some touristy, others less familiar but reflecting

the shifting attitudes and traditions of different cultures, the universality of existence.

There is release and beauty in surrendering to that.                                                                                                                                                                       

This awakening to awareness is what is really going on here,                                                                            

in that we share.

I feel thanks and gratitude to the many people I met along the way,

tour guides and locals, other travellers, part of this exploratory and defining process.

It is this richness that makes it even more worthwhile.

In the spiralling spirit of nuclear nebulae

are the squashed guts of fallen fruit fly.

In all the ugliness and despair,

is all the purity of purest air,

in the emptiness of being there,

is the fullness of being here,

beauty, beauty, beauty.