Hither and Yonder

I sought it hither and yonder,

Desperately and intensely, as the hands of time clocked the years away.

I sought it ever since I first saw it dazzle on the silver screen,

Since I first heard the crests and troughs of the poems rhymes,

Since the many firsts that were to not last forever,

Oh yes! I did search for it hither and yonder.

I travelled hither and yonder,

My journeys always with an inkling of hope,

My eyes constantly on the lookout,

Maybe the next turn, the street across, the distant house, or just around the roundabout?

Albeit, always returned only to travel again,

Oh yes, I did travel hither and yonder.

I waited hither and yonder,

And realized patience is not just a virtue that one is born with,

Like any other skill, you get better at it with years of practice.

Howsoever long it takes, it must be on its way,

The picture would be complete, the missing piece would be found someday.

Oh yes, I did wait hither and yonder.

It gave me a glimpse,

It assured me of its presence in the hearts that beat around me.

It built me up and also tore me apart,

It saw me through it all, as I saw it too - the entire spectrum of it passing through the prism of time.

But never did it leave me, and neither did I.

Oh yes, it did stay with me - hither and yonder.

I feel it now everywhere around me,

In a stranger’s smile, in the sun on a frigid day,

In the voices I feel fortunate to be hearing from miles away,

In opportune discoveries, and also when no plans seem to fall in place.

It finds its expression in the desperate prayers, in selfless offerings and in grateful moments,

Oh yes, it is now in me - hither and yonder.

But the question does still implore!

What would you do to see it for real?

To hold its hands in yours, to see it in the eyes,

To feel it like all things tangible in the worldly sense should.

Would you now go out seeking again hither and yonder?

Or would you now just sit back and let it find you….

"At long last"