The Scales of Being

In the market of life, where all trade and barter, A sage stood silent, watching the starter And ender of deals, the ebb and the flow, Of gains and losses, the high and the low. "Look beyond the binary," he softly spoke, To a merchant whose ledger had just gone broke. "In loss lies a lesson, in gain a test, In balance between them, you'll find your rest.” To a triumphant winner, flush with success, He whispered, "In triumph, cultivate less. For awe dwells in valleys as much as peaks, And reverence in silence when fortune speaks.” A monk passed by, his bowl empty yet full, His mind was a still pond, with no ripple to cull. "Mindfulness," the sage nodded, "there's the key, To watch without grasping, to feel yet be free.” When fear gripped the crowd as markets fell, The sage stood unshaken, calm as a bell. "Resilience," he taught, "is the heart's true wealth, In change find your strength, in the challenge, your health.” A child's laughter rang out, pure and clear, Reminding all present what they held dear. "Humility," the sage smiled, "keeps us whole, For in joy and sorrow, we all play a role.” As day turned to dusk, the sage looked around, At lives intertwined, all cosmically bound. "We're threads," he mused, "in a grand tapestry, Each gain, each loss, shapes our destiny.” In the quiet of the night, as the market slept, The sage shared one last truth he'd long kept: "Balance in all things, moderation in measure, In being, not having, find your true treasure.” And as dawn broke anew on the bustling square, The sage was gone, but his wisdom hung in the air. For those with ears to hear and eyes to see, A glimpse of the infinite, where all is free.