Across Three Lifetimes, I Finally Found You

That day,

with my eyes closed amid the incense haze in the temple,

I suddenly heard

the sacred words as you chanted the sutras.

That month,

I spun every prayer wheel,

not to deliver souls,

but only to touch your fingertips.

That year,

I prostrated myself along the mountain road,

not to pay my respects,

but only to feel your warmth beside me.

That lifetime,

I circled mountains and waters and pagodas,

not to earn a better next life,

but only to meet you along the way…