First, there’s the “self” our mother celebrates –
A mother who loves her child –
This self is like a hard rubber ball
Rolling and bouncing around borderline realities.

Next is an incipient “God” self – which is aspirational –
The person we would like to become –
Prayers floating out ahead of us
Accompanied by whispered dreams – nearly coming true –
Which culminates in the “beloved” – essentially, your “true self.”

Then, finally, one day, we might even begin thinking about attempting the ultimate goal –
A no-thing who’s equally a non-persona –
More beautiful than beauty –
So much so that it stuns our eyes.

In this experience, we discover the kind of joy
Allowing us to forget who we are – or, even, who we ever were –
Revealing a beauty we haven’t been able to imagine –
A beauty we might actually achieve if we were “God”
Or, perhaps even, “God’s” God.