The Sphinx

a poem

photo by the author, sphinx of the rocks, Galisteo, NM

hiking a hike
called the sphinx
I wondered why
this name
til I saw him
walked right under him

often I don’t see
what’s right in front of me
hiding
in plain sight

the sphinx
of the rocks
enigmatic
making riddles
for us to decode
symbolizing mystery

part animal, part man
union of opposites
upper and lower
feminine and masculine
conscious and subconscious
duality joined

he’s a trickster
trying to show us
something
everything
and nothing
all at once

when he tricks
the mind gets trapped
the mind gets silenced
and then becomes free

this is how we learn
this is how we grow
by letting go
of our mind