A day to relax, celebrate with family and friends
And reflect on all of my accomplishments

But this last one was different

That night of my birthday, I was awoken from my sleep
From a sound I couldn’t see, but it came from somewhere deep

The sound was getting louder; it was a sound I couldn’t block
I tried to cover my ears but all I could hear was tick-tock-tick-tock
It was the sound of a clock

I tried to sleep through it, but then I heard the door knock

A knock at the door, something wasn’t right
Who would be here for me at this time of night?

I couldn’t believe who I saw when I opened the door
The ninth master stood before me
And I fell to the floor
He knelt down and whispered in my ear
And what he said to me had me trembling in fear

He said:

Slipping away, your life is uselessly slipping away

And then he was gone

Thinking of the 365 days that had passed
I wondered what I had done different from this birthday since the last.

This was supposed to have been my year to improve on my gurmat
To walk further on the guru’s path…but have I progressed at all?

I started thinking back on all the promises I made
Did I mean it when I said it, or was it all a charade?

This was my year to read more baani and reflect in veechar
Not rush through my nitnem while driving in my car

To wake up early in simran and keep my discipline tight
Not make excuses the next morning, because I stayed up all night

This was my year to change my perception
To change the lens in which I viewed the world
To see Waheguru in others
To practice compassion
To practice forgiveness
To stand arm in arm with those who are oppressed

Ferguson, Baltimore
This year was my year to protest in the streets
But I just keep fighting the fight with likes and retweets
Is this the Sikh that I’ve become?

Our shaheeds gave their tomorrow for my today
And all I’m doing is letting it just slip away?

No, I signed up for something more
I have a duty to the Guru Granth and the Guru Panth
And if I truly love my guru…and if I really do care
Then I have to put my effort forward and earn this uniform that I wear.

So what’s it going to be?
Another year of empty promises
Of talking about the struggle over half-caff lattes with friends
Or I’ll try harder this year
Or at least I’m being honest about my weaknesses
Or if only I had the gurus grace…

But what grace am I waiting for?
He’s given me the shabad
He’s given me sangat
He’s given me the ability to think, reason, and act
I keep coming up with excuses but I’m ignoring the fact

He’s given me everything to set myself free
There’s no one else to blame…it’s now up to me

So help me up my sister, help me up my brother
It’s now time to stand tall and put one foot in front of the other
Slipping away, it’s all just slipping away
But I’m here to answer your call my guru
And I’m starting today