HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES

hero with a thousand faces
watcher of a thousand dawns
clocker of the changing seasons
gazer on a thousand stars

strolling out through your kingdom
beyond the palace walls
others fought to shield you
from the blight of ugly sores
but you were not blinded
to the truth of what you saw
the suffering of the starving
the wretched and the poor

hero, you could have rested
in fragrant garden groves
tended by sweet maidens
worshipped by your followers
but you chose to cast off
your robes of silk and gold
to venture out into danger
unprotected and alone

hero with a thousand faces
gazer on a thousand moons
leader of a thousand races
prophet of a thousand dooms

you stumbled through dark forests
where thorns and brambles tore
braving fierce sea monsters
entering the dragon's lair
roaming arid deserts
through barren dusty lands
no precious beads of water
to bathe your calloused hands

hero with a thousand faces
revealer of a thousand truths
keeper of a thousand secrets
sufferer of a thousand fools

abandoning all privilege
coveting no luxury
shunning recognition
disdaining vain glory
hero, restless spirit
questing intellect, searching soul
adoring of the sacred
mindful of the ego

from the icy tundra
to the grassy steppes
over misty mountains
where the eagles nest
through the humid jungles
where the jaguars roam
the hero with the thousand faces
journeys ever on