I left the ways of the old life behind.

Now I ride with the gulls in the stream,

Among the wayward sirens singing.

To whom do you prefer to turn?

(Adapted from “Reply to Li Huan” by 8^th century master Wei Ying-Wu)

The four lines of the poem are saying this:
What I used to do,
what it is like for me now,
freedom from lust,
and the choice of my Higher Power over addiction and powerlessness.

I left the ways of the old life behind

—from old-timer to newcomer, a biographical statement. It relates the experience of one, and what the other truly wants to get rid of and change himself. The old-timer, through hard experience, expresses the unexpressed hopefulness and desperation of the newcomer. Both understand ‘the ways of the old life.’

Now I ride with the gulls in the stream

—implies acceptance of life’s terms; the image of the serene old-timer, riding the turbulence in life’s ‘stream.’ (This is a promise I am slowly beginning to realize.)

Among the wayward sirens singing

—understanding, how we see lust, in its various guises.

To whom do you prefer to turn?

—a direct question, though slightly moral in tone, is the old-timer’s subtle way of relating to the newcomer’s lust triggers. Hearing this, from my sponsor and others, articulated what I needed (and still need) to know about me.