Joy

Life was tedious
Entertainment was a drag
Thrill had become boring
Been there, done that
Nothing else to do

He left it all
Left the world
And went to the seas
He lived on the beach
in a thatched hut, all alone
But no entertainment was boring too

There was no TV, no Internet
and so slowly
he started finding joy
even in the simple pleasures of life
Yet life was slow
and aimless

Then one day it happened
He found an odd shell
And felt the urge to carve
His hands guided him
The mind knew what to do
It all came out well
A fine sound it blew

He liked that sound
He loved that work
And then all day
from dawn to dusk
He did nothing else
But scraped the husk
To find the treasure below

It gave his life a meaning
For now work was not means to an end
But that end in itself
And when such is the case
Work ceases to be work
And becomes joy, pure bliss

So he enjoyed what he did
He carved more shells
It brought him peace
And he wished nothing else

Yet world intruded
Recognised the value
He craved it not
Yet it gave its due

Such shells were after all
Nowhere else to be found
Even those who knew their craft
Could not produce such a sound

And so our shell-maker
Now worked for the world
Even on such shells
Which ere into the sea he hurled

The more he worked for others
The more it became work
Where he once found joy
Now he wished to shirk

He had left the world
Came here to feel alive
But now at his doorstep
When the world arrived
Tempted by his Joy
Which now quiety crept out
From the backdoor