I am here without a dream, my father

I am here without a dream, my father
I am here without a vision at hand
I have prayed and sought the vision-giver
I have walked through forest and open land
I have knelt by water and sought its truth
And it passed by, singing its music still
As the sun sets now on the days of my youth
I lack the fire of the warrior’s will.

And my heart aches now, with an unmet yearning
That seeks its dream to give it breath
The voices call from every direction
Confusion paints a dream of death
Will the warrior spin without a foe?
In endless circles, dance alone?
I cannot endure this life, this body
If it’s true that my one dream is gone.

Will the hawk’s fierce cry give my vision life?
Will I find it in a deer’s soft eyes
From which direction comes the wind
That whispers dreams to a cloud-blown sky?

Behind your heart lies your dream, my son,
In a quiet place that no one’s seen
When you’re willing to act, to move, to feel
It is then you’ll wake your slumbering dream
I too knelt by water and sought its truth
And it passed me by with its clearest tone
And desire passed with my seething youth
And I burned with aching dreams alone.

Then I prayed and asked the gods the answer
An omen or a simple sign
But the sky and birds and earth were silent
The answer was already mine.
For I did not know as I searched and fasted
I sought a vision already seen
My warrior’s task was to search my heart out
To battle with that was my heartfelt dream

So do not seek the hawk’s direction
His wings are his own and he knows no choice
Within your heart lies the greatest learning
Your dream calls now in a quiet voice.