Do you feel trapped by life’s endless roller coaster? Dive into this Buddhist poem I wrote exploring suffering, awakening, and liberation

I’ve seen this movie thousands of times
Same old patterns, same old rhymes

Countless seasons of emotions have come and passed
Happiness, sadness, fear, anxiety: all cycling fast

Gripping joy tightly with all my power
Hating the anger and fear when the dark times tower

So often, I’ve ridden life’s highs and lows
On this tiring roller coaster that endlessly goes

Sick to my stomach, tired in my bones
I’ve been on this roundabout for eons before

I can’t repeat the cycle, there must be another way
Staying on the ride only adds to my dismay 

I am ready to make a change, ready to commit
It’s time to find a way for a paradigm shift

And so, I arrive at the path of deep letting go
Commit to non-clinging, surrender to the flow

I practice: I sit and watch my internal movie
Curious about all the stories I tell myself about me

I see the clinging to the identities I formed in this life
Therapist, meditator, daughter, and a loving caring wife

Sometimes I chuckle at the crazy addictive ride
How easily we’re pulled by the ever-rolling tide

Every minute, my mind, ready to hop back on
Even though deep down, I know it’s a con

So I practice: being mindful when I walk, fold laundry, and cook
I notice I get caught regularly by the story’s hook

But I repeatedly try and come back to my presence
Take refuge again and again in my breath, my awareness

Dear universe, dear teachers: show me the way
I am ready to follow you on this beautiful, sacred day

My being is ready to experience the end of suffering
Ready to allow the deep stillness ‘Nibbana’ can bring

Dear universe, dear teachers,
I can feel your presence, and your loving hands extend
I promise I’ll follow you until my suffering comes to an end
And who knows? There may just come a day
When even the subtlest of my clinging all just fade away