The Garden of Many Voices

Beyond the towers and the banners
Beyond the praises of the crowd
There were gardens filled with wonders
Speaking softly, never loud

Every path revealed a secret
Every flower held a dream
Every voice promised another answer
To questions still unseen

In the garden of many voices
Every whisper sounded true
Like reflections on the water
Changing shape with every view

In the garden of many voices
I could hear a thousand songs
Yet the voice beyond the starlight
Seemed more distant all along

I welcomed strangers to my table
Listened to their ancient ways
Collected fragments of their wisdom
Like trophies from forgotten days

Every answer brought another
Every road became two more
And the maze I thought I'd mastered
Turned into an endless shore

The fire still burned inside me
But no longer burned the same
Once it showed me where to travel
Now it only spoke my name

In the garden of many voices
Every whisper sounded true
Like reflections on the water
Changing shape with every view

I remember distant starlight
A dream from years before
When the road was clear before me
And I knew what I stood for

Now the mirrors multiply
And every face resembles mine
Have I found a greater truth
Or simply left the old behind?

And as the night embraced the garden
A distant star began to fade
Not because it lost its power
But because I looked away