When I understood

When I understood,
That I hadn’t understood,
An understanding, new,
Dawned upon my soul.
Then my mind’s eye saw
What I thought I saw
And what I had not seen.
Difficult is the walk
On the spirit’s path.
Some things we mistake,
Everything distort.
The chariot of knowledge
Moves on broken wheels.
Such was my journey,
My walk to the Light.
I knew I had walked
A few steps on the beach,
I knew I had swum
A few laps in the sea,
In the mountain range,
Scaled a hillock small.
And in ignorance –
Or was it arrogance?-
Thought I was a sage.
Scales fell from my eyes
With this new insight.
Humility, then,
Took me in her arms
And whispered wisdom’s chant
Gently in my ears.
Gone was my ego,
Weakened desire’s hold.
No more did I want
To be the leading rat.
A bit more humble,
A little wiser,
I resumed my walk
On the sunlit path