But I know they cannot know me
Can’t see my misfortune
Guess they don’ wanna know me
I am just a pilgrim
Saffron shows my devotion
Ain’t afraid of no hard road
Fill my heart with passion
Walk thru the fire
Fly thru the fear
See the signs along the path
Though the end remains unclear
Walk in mindful silence
See what breath can do
Walk on rainbow splinters
Leave behind gurus
Seek it, you will find it, seek, seek
Walk on rainbow splinters
‘Til I Wake Up ,’Til I Wake Up, ‘Til I Wake Up ,’Til I Wake Up
I breathe in the light
Exhale the darkness
Pride begins to fade
And I forget the malice
Balance light and dark
Rising from the gutter
Melt my pain like butter
And my heart begins to flutter
Seek it, you will find it, seek, seek
Walk on rainbow splinters
Seek it, you will find it, seek, seek
Walk on rainbow splinters
‘Til I Wake Up ,’Til I Wake Up, ‘Til I Wake Up ,’Til I Wake Up
Seek it, you will find it, seek, seek
Walk on rainbow splinters
Gautama Buddha
Come along on my journey
Bring your Dharmakaya, your Sambhogakaya, your Nirmanakaya
And your 500 lives
The illuminating candle
Apsaras, guiding angels
Gautama Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Bodhisattva of compassion
Master who taught the light
With you Gautama
With you Gautama
‘Til I Wake Up ,’Til I Wake Up, ‘Til I Wake Up ,’Til I Wake Up
‘Til I Wake Up ,’Til I Wake Up, ‘Til I Wake Up ,’Til I Wake Up
Seek it, you will find it, seek, seek
Walk on rainbow splinters
Seek it, you will find it, seek, seek
Walk on rainbow splinters
Gautama Buddha
Shining on the river of light….
Decal on Glass
Barcelona
Catalonia, Spain
Taken during travels, 2019
There’s a bit of synchronicity at work here. I’ve been listening — here and there — to the album, “Back to Mine: The Voodoo Sessions”, an eclectic compilation of darkly themed music remixed by Lamb‘s Andy Barlow. “I Walk on Guilded Splinters” is the album’s third cut. The combination of Dr. John’s death and the rather dark notes of the lyrics put it deep into my subconscious.
While looking for an image to work with today, I rediscovered the colourful graphic of walking feet snapped with my Samsung phone in Barcelona a couple months ago. I’d begun editing it some time ago, and today began working on it again. Taking a break from that edit to cue up some music, I once again ran across Guilded Splinters in an iTunes playlist and returned to editing while listening to the song. Rainbow colours in my eyes.
The first complete phrase came to me as “I Walk on Rainbow Splinters”. I’d figured that was a promising place to begin a new poem, but I decided to take a closer look at the lyrics I was about to unabashedly plagiarize the title of. It didn’t take long to realize it might be more interesting to turn Dr. John’s original darkness on its head with a “remix” of my own, seeking something a little more… enlightening.
There’s also a good chance this choice was influenced by the music I am more inclined to associate with Andy Barlow: Lamb, afterall, is trip-hop for seekers and pilgrims. 😉
Pix to Words 