I searched for jade in every room,
Thinking joy wore jeweled skin.
I fed my hunger polished things—
Yet found no peace within.
I thought of wealth as safety\'s gate,
Of more as love\'s reply,
Till silence fell like autumn leaves
And asked me, gently, why.
My wife was pouring morning tea,
Our daughter laughed and ran—
The Buddha smiled from dusty shelf,
Still wiser than a plan.
The mystery isn\'t hard to crack,
Not buried, far, or grim:
The moment I stopped chasing more,
The world began to brim.
© Susie Stiles-Wolf