Following the Rainbow

It wasn’t treasure that I wanted,

Nor was it the fame,
But something deeper spoke to me,
In whispers, called my name.



“Follow the rainbow ‘cross the ocean

To lands beyond the bay.
Home will be when you return,

So come, let us away.”



He offered me his hand
As he danced across the sea.

He bid me come and follow him
,
Though frightened I might be.



A leprechaun, I think he was -
The ones of Irish lore.
Though not in Europe did he dwell,
But on California shore.



He led me ‘cross the ocean

To lands I’d never seen.

He taught me about life and death
And all things in between.


“Let me share one thing with you,

Something no one has been told:

There never was a treasure
Nor a single piece of gold.



“The treasure lies inside of you -

You only have to look.

Though you might find it on your travels
Or in the pages of a book."



He held out to me a clover
From southeast Asian lands
,
But said the luck I needed

Could not be held inside my hands.



That leprechaun, he left that day
With a polite nod of his head.

“Though home might be a distant thing,

You’ve the entire world ahead.”


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