My Offer

I bowed. When my forehead touched the earth, I could feel the stars spill out. The intellectual asked, "Why do you bow?"

I answered, "To honor my body."

"To whom do you bow?"

"To the one who is bowing."

I sat in meditation. When my breath touched the root, I could feel the kiss of Christ and Mary Magdalene. The intellectual said, "You've been sitting for over an hour, doing nothing."

"Doing nothing works," I said.

The intellectual said, "Show me." So I started grinding diamonds from the mirror of silence. I took them to the marketplace and cried, "What will you give me for one of these diamonds?"

The Rich Man answered, "All my wealth."

The Prince said, "My father's kingdom."

The Alchemist said, "The five elements, and every secret of magic."

The Priest said, "Absolution of your sins, and the keys to heaven."

I shook my head and replied, "None of you have offered enough for even the tiniest of these diamonds of silence." Then I returned to my hut, touched my brow to the earth, and meditated for another hour.