“Teach me, Kali-Ma. What is my purpose?”

“You are a sword.
Swords can cut,
swords can cleave,
swords can divide,
swords can block,
swords can control,
swords can lead,
swords can command.
Yet, swords can never help.”

“If I were not a sword, what might I be?”

“You might be a shield.
Shields can protect,
shields can reflect,
shields can return force as like unto its source.
Yet, shields can never help.”

“You might be a cup,
for cups are the repository of power.
They hold strength and space
for others, never for themselves.
Cups can never help.”

“You might be a flower,
for flowers carry beauty and truth,
and thus they illuminate the worlds.
Yet, they can never help.”

“Who then, teacher, can truly help?”

“Only thyself, child, only thyself.”

— Sarah Thompson, 2009