For there to be white,
there must and black...
for there to be light,
there must be dark...
for there to yin
there must be a yang...
for there to be stars, heat,
and life on any given planet,
there must be the cold and hostile
vaccum of space for the two opposing
forces of nature - life and death -
to have their way and test the limits
and the extremes of their own potential...
for good to prevail
there must be evil to vanquish...
for hope to win in the end
there must be the shadow of doubt
to sometimes struggle with...
for the best of the best to be crowned
there must be ups and downs
from which lessons are learned
which inspire others down the road
who are on their own journey of self-discovery...
for the entirety of this version of the universe
there has existed both
the beginning and the end,
the start and the finish,
the Go and the Stop,
the found and the lost -
but there are places where and when
the interconnected consciousness
of all living things communicates
with one another consciously
as well as unconsciously,
that some have even reported
to have visited and returned from
feeling changed and brand new:
nirvana, heaven, Eden,
space, the frontier, the edge,
high above the clouds
or deep below the ocean -
after which they can both perceive
and understand forever that
the balance that keeps the wheels
of existence rolling as serenely
as a sphere of energy spinning through space,
that is both perfect and imperfect at the same time,
would have to be one of the most
wonderful symbols in existence
that captures the true essence
of what it means to be zen.