I wandered from the path; I was lost.

I wandered from the path; I was lost.
Stream after stream I crossed.

‘Til once I glance down to see

The next stream, just ahead of me,

Flowed in rivulets of gold,

Flowing freely with wealth untold.

I knelt down to touch the flood

And saw, in the gold, traces of blood.

Across this stream of gold I glanced;

Before my wondering eyes, gems danced.

The jewels of colors I’d never seen

Lay on satin of a diamond sheen.

Lace and velvet draped great stone.

I felt eyes on my back, but I was alone.

Gingerly, I crossed the stream;

I moved slowly, as in a dream.

But the vision didn’t disappear

Or fade away, as I had feared.

The filmy cloths rippled in the breeze;

The bright stones glittered, my vision teased.

Birches, with bark of silvery hue, I found ran silver all the way through.

Marble bins filled with spices rare-

Their mixed fragrance filled the air.

Platinum flowers with silver dew

Stood in beds where living flowers grew.

The confusion was too much to bear-

I ran, then turned- there was nothing there.