*******
I do not care how you win your life
I want to know what you aspire,
And if you dare to dream of the burning desire of your heart.
*
I'm not interested in your age.
I want to know if the quest for love and your dreams,
For the adventure of being alive,
You shall take the risk of being considered crazy.
*
I do not care what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own suffering,
If life's betrayals thee open
Or if you shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.
*
I want to know if you can live with the pain, yours or mine,
Without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.
If you dare to dance, filled with ecstasy to the tips of fingers and toes
Without being prudent or realistic and not remembering the conventions of the human race.
*
I'm not interested in the truth of the story you tell.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself,
If you bear the charge of treason, without becoming unfaithful to your soul.
*
I want to know if you can trust, and if you are trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty, even during the dark days
And if you can find the source of your life in the presence of this beauty.
*
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours or mine,
And still stand by the lake
And shouting "Yes!" the silver of the moon.
*
I do not care where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if after a night of grief and despair,
Can you get up and do what is necessary for children.
*
I'm not interested in what you are or how you can make it.
I want to know if you can stay in the center of the fire with me, without flinching.
I'm not interested in what you studied, where or with whom.
*
I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls apart.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself,
And if you truly like the company of your empty moments.
*****
Oriah Mountain Dreamer (an Indian Elder)

Nastassja सितारा चमक