IN THEE

Oh Lord! Benevolent and merciful!

Maker of the thinker and his thought!

In thy boundless mercy; I surrender myself!

As the world of thy making stands still

And the sunshine spreads between the trees

My sentience is filled with thy magnificence!

All my pointless worries and fears!

All my pride; and all my anger!

Vanish as evanescent mist in thy brilliance!

Oh Lord!  I humbly surrender to thee; all that I call myself!

For, in thee, I have lost my miseries!

In thee, I have become one!

In thee, I have tasted the sweetness of eternal bliss!

Oh lord! Savior of my unworthy soul!

I humbly surrender myself to thee!

FROST BITE

The winter morning is cold

My hands are weeping numb

No sunshine to warm

No gloves to protect

As the frost bites into my frozen heart! 

CAUSERIE

Sitting blindfolded on the other side of the stone wall!

Can you see me walking beneath the moonlight?

Can you see the secrets hidden in my heart!

Yet; beyond opaque walls; you claim to see with clarity!

Speculation and conjecture! Illusion and delusion! 

Fanciful intentions and controversial deeds! You claim you see me do!

But tell me dear friend! Why must there be all this chaffer!

Can mere speculation reveal the face of truth?

Can mere conjecture, lead you to another man’s heart!

While blindfolded from reality; living in an ivory tower of your pointless ego!

What else will be left for you; but loneliness!

When love breaks the wall; and compassion reveals its inner soul

You too will see the garden of wisdom!

You too will walk in the blissful moonlight! 

Till then friend! Be mindful of your causerie!

BAKER'S PRIDE

The aroma of freshly baked cake fills the evening air

The crispy smell of caramel as it forms the crust!

The rising dough! The mystical flavors!

The softness! The sweetness!

The tantalizing taste!

Oh! How dainty is my cake!

How dainty is the cake of my very own making!

As the softness melts in my mouth and the ecstasy overflows

As the wonderful taste seeps in; and invokes a feeling of pride

I pause a moment, and gently wonder

Did I strive in the vast fields of wheat, where once mighty forests stood?

Did I pollinate the vanilla flowers; and harvest its sapid pods

Did I churn the creamy butter, from the deprived milk of some miserable calf?

Did I lay the eggs, of those unborn chicks that ended up in the bowl?

Did I make the motherly oven!  Did I mastermind the canonical recipe?

Yet, having done none of these; I proudly call it my cake!

What of mine did I bake; to take all this credit?

Except for time and intention, what more did I contribute?

 Now as the exalted taste of cake merges with my new found insight

Humility is born and pride melts away; as I finally see , the whole universe, hidden within this cake!

THE STEERING COMMITTEE

I am your leader, the big black one says

Armored with knowledge and wisdom

I have mastered the ultimate skill, and mentored all you weaker ones

And I am still in command !

I am the one, solely capable of steering!

So this committee is nothing without me!

Listen to me you fools; and keep going straight!

Why must we fall into your treacherous trap again; says the red one!

You are too selfish and narrow minded, to lead us!

While your myopic vision cannot see beyond the shadow of the chin

My vision extends to even where your dreams cannot reach

Unlike you, I am a creature who practises what I preach

So senile friend, there are no takers for the follies you teach

The path ahead to me is crystal clear

A turn to the left here, and a right down the corner

The future my way is a lot more greener!

But, captain failure!  Look where your wretched egoism has lead

You kept going when we pleaded you to stop

And now the oasis of opportunity has gone away

You did not heed to the needs, and climbed up he wrong dunes

And here we are now stranded, and lost under the hot desert sun!

It’s high time now for you to step down, and let me save all of us!

So forth, the two ants of the steering committee argue!

Sitting on top of the hairy hump of an dromedary camel, as they discuss, plan and think they control

As the oblivious camel strolls across the vast desert on its way home!

GARDEN OF TODAY

The garden is fresh with nascent blossoms

As the rays of the sun embrace me with warmth

The sky has cleared, and thunderclouds have retreated

The rainbow smiles in splendid colors of joy

Fluttering birds hum a happy tune

As they shake away the last of the raindrops in bliss

Yet, I sit here and worry of hypothetical storms!

SEARCHING FOR THE LAMP

The crickets’ creek in the moonless night

As the air is filled with arrant darkness

A lamp, lost to the emptiness

I search here in silent desperation!

Morning will be too late, I know

But what else can a lost soul do; but search in darkness

Through grasses and burrows; trees and mounds

Lamp- less and helpless

I feel and tap at every accessible terrain

Yet no glorious lamp I can find!

The terrain is too vast and my senses are too numb

I lament to myself!

What soul can I find in this darkness?

What light-less lamp can I find?

But when morning comes, and finds me searching

My time will be gone, and my show will be over!

As the sunlight of life finally engulfs my darkened soul!

Will I ever realize!  The lamp that I was searching for, was the one I had put out in my heart!

LEAF IN THE MONSOON

The lashing rain is pouring

Transient streams are flowing

Drawn by the wavy currents

A leaf lost in the monsoons

Floating along in peace

Nothing to watch for; nothing to wish for

No preferred time; no desired destination

Floating in ecstasy; taking the course of destiny

With every sudden change of course

How limitless is the bliss!

THE FIRST DIP IS THE COLDEST

The cold breeze blows over the murky greenness of the salacious pond

My knuckled hands of fear clutch desperately to my shrunken soul

My heart is racing and my mind is numb in horrid anticipation

The brackish green water is filthy and the pond is deep

My knees are shaky and my steps shuffle with hesitation

As time has come for me to dip into this squalid pond

I have sailed across mighty oceans, swam across the bluest of seas

I have bathed in the warm clear waters of the sacrosanct springs hidden in the highest mountains

But the turning wheel of fortune has now left me to the mercy of this smutty pond

As my feet wade into the chillness of the foul water, my worried mind wonders

Isn't the first dip, the coldest!

And after that, all the filth is but a wonted home

As the coldness is accustomed to and filth becomes a habit

Will I lose myself to the pleasures of filth?

Will I wade in the dirty pond with new found happiness?

Lost in the murkiness of the pond and comforted by the ease of swimming in it

Will I not let filth seep into my heart?

Will I not let the filth dilute the values of my soul?

Will I let empathy drown and let the blossom of concern rot away?

As I step into this water, and take my first dip

I gently remind my self

Only the first dip is the coldest!

So don’t let filth become a wonted home

Don’t lose yourself to the valueless currents of pleasure and the weeds of greed  

Remember your root, and remember the lotus blossom on the surface

 Remember the times spent in the warmth wisdom of the sacrosanct springs

As the coldness and fear plead with you one last time; it is but a desperate reminder

Telling you, don’t lose yourself to the filth!

But this coldness is loudest the first time; and then wanes away forever!

So friend, wading in chillness of the filthy pond!

The first dip is the coldest! The rest is a battle on your own! 

HIDING FROM

Smile; a veil that hides your heart

Eyes; a shield that hides your soul

Pride; a wall, you hide your wounds

Pomp; the fort, you hide your ignorance

Pleasure; the fruit that hides your delusion

Hope; the cloud that hides your fears

Self; the lie that hides the truth

Oh! Tell me dear friend!

What is that, you are hiding from?