Nosce te Ipsum

With the eye of a seeker

I peer through the hole,

lift the tube to the light,

see the pieces fall in place.

With serious intensity

I study the kaleidoscope of self

The mirrored geometry

Of nature and nurture

 persuades me

of my own complexity.

There is my temperament

in small glass disks

of moody blue opacity,

my training severe

in bright red solid shapes.

Floating in transparent gel

the shiny stars

of gentle spirit

while the elusive soul

slithers on the edge

a tiny drop of quicksilver

But never be complacent;

self-knowledge is ever incomplete.

With every twist and turn

of fickle fate

the pattern changes

and I am obliged

to know myself anew.

Islamabad, April 2001