Growing old physically –
We start to fall apart
Which isn’t all bad
Since we gain opportunities to become more spiritual.

Our goal is the attainment of “wholeness” – or “holiness” –
Inside and out –
Accepting both the world and ourselves
Right up to the moment when we go crashing into the dark –
Which, God willing,
Turns light.

Do we awake when we die?
And, if we can accelerate this consciousness while still alive,
Mightn’t this bring us an even earlier “awakening”?

But what if we’re never able to find the “pearl” –
And what would be the consequences of not bothering to look?

Yes, it’s true that, as we grow older, we start to fall apart –
It’s natural –
But what would be “unnatural” is to become more loving
While, at the same time, becoming weaker, more stressed, and more helpless.

This would be like observing the sun rising up behind a dark mountain –
When we’re both mountain and sun.