GOD IS LOVE

Listen friend! What are you fighting about!

In this day of enlightenment

Why do you still crouch in medieval darkness!

Take away your blindfold of hatred

And see the world with eyes of love!

Throw away your divisive thoughts

And embrace the truth of love and compassion!

For God is all around you; god is all within you;

For God is manifested! God is Love!  

In the mystical dervishes of the Sufi

In the lotus position of the yogi

In the cross and the Calvary

In the holy ashes, and the flowing Ganges

God is all around you!

In Mecca or Jerusalem; Kasi or Gaya

Every man has a heart; and every heart has a spark of it!  

The  flame of everlasting love!

As the same sun shines high; in both the wilderness and in the green pastures

Jehovah and Allah; Hari and Shiva

Aren’t they but different fingers pointing to the same sun?

As the sunshine of love fills the heart of a true lover

What else is God but Love! 

KOAN NOT TO

 

In this cloudy world of distractions

To see is not to see

To do is not to do

To understand is not to

And to know is but mere delusion

Yet, when the morning sun shines in silence

To let go, is true enlightenment!

PASSING CLOUDS

Sitting by the window, on a cold winter night  

As the open curtains greet the serene moonlight

Passing clouds of thought come and go

Some are good and friendly

Some are riotous till they go

Some tent in my garden

And some just refuse to go

Some make me smile when they come in

But rip my home when they go

Some keep evading as I chase them

And some just make a mess and go  

Some brighten the home with their presence

But they too drizzle and go

For all these thoughts, just come visiting

And, sooner or later, they all must go

For when the new sun rises in the morning, the morning mist must go!

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!