Sensei

He just appeared, it seems, out of the blue.
For those looking, his presence was long overdue.
Nobody understood from whence he came.
He didn’t volunteer much just, Sensei, his name.
He didn’t mix words,
more than a few sentences, we seldom heard.
 
He carried nothing with him,
he lived life lean and mean.
Never in a rush, he passed each moment deliberately.
There is no reason, he taught, to meaninglessly let one pass by,
life is best walked one foot in front of the other, only.
Always being on the run, he said, is worse than a stick in the eye.
 
There were many paths that Sensei could have taken
but he chose a life in the simplest form, to some it looked quite barren.
It was obvious that he was a learned man;
he was disciplined, fit, sound minded, solitary, and lived by his own plan.
“Against his better self-interest”, many would say,
but Sensei never listened, he was comfortable making his own way.
And for those who could not, or would not, try to understand,
although living a simple life, he was a very complex man.
 
Sensei, defined himself by his minimal life.
He exuded peace, preached tranquility, seemed one with no internal strife.
“Is what you teach a religion?” “Are you a God?”
“Are these questions you should be asking of me?”, he replied with a nod.
“God is the essence of it all.
I’m here only to help and to guide, to pick you up should you fall.
I will push you and train you and prepare you for the many tests.
All I ask in return is that you give me your best.”
 
Back then we failed to recognize the treasure, the true worth of the gift,
wrapped up in this stern and guarded man,
from whom fairness, justice and unconditional love always came swift.
He showed us that we can make excuses for our shortfalls,
live a less than robust life, or, face the challenges as they unfold.
For each of us he helped build our core,
gave us a firm foundation from which to launch and to soar.
His words to this day give my life basis,
in my mind Sensei’s voice rings out, “there are no excuses!”