Mountain Was Mountain

Mountain was mountain, water water,

Once upon a time for me,

But then they forced me to grow up

And fondly drummed words into me;

My mountains became beautiful,

Tall, rugged, majestic and strong,

My waters became languid, placid,

Turbulent, still, flowing and calm;

But this not enough, I added labels of names

To my beautiful mountains and turbulent mains;

Then I saw regions round mountains

Or ones by the waters washed,

All peopled by humans

But to humanity forever lost;

Nations emerged, some friendly, some not

Seeing truth in their symbols of difference,

Goriest wars bothered them not,

As to their symbols they owed allegiance;

My mountains became symbolic

Of people who loved and hated,

My waters too were people,

Some starved and some were sated;

If only I played with their symbols,

As grown up I would be accepted,

Lunatic, heretic, libertine and mad,

If their symbols I neglected;

Well, to hell with it all,

Back to the beginning I go free,

Out of this confusion, this world of illusions

Only so plain to see

That mountain is mountain and water water,