Today, I told a butterfly he was God
my eyes followed the magnificent cape
of his orange monarch wings
from September flower to flower

The inquisitive coral throated lizard
leaping over the garden jhoola
listened, awestruck as I announced
with deep conviction
"You're, God too, my friend"

It was time to tell Joy, screeching
at the top of her parrot lungs and
Sam my bright-eyed cairn terrier
the exciting news

I could feel the teal blue heavens,
all the creatures of our earth and
beyond breathing in
absolute pin drop silence
as I filled a glass with water
opened my mouth
and slowly poured
God into God

when I recall how close
Your sacred lips
are to
my listening ears
and I remember that
I have only
to look up
from the swimming depths
to see Your radiant eyes plunging
headlong into my soul
the moments I spend
away from You
in any other contemplation
are fraught with failure
and discontent


Blessed Self
fan the flames
of remembrance
with Your holy
presence
the moon is so full
and white this evening
stroll with me
hand in hand
across the courtyard
as lovers steal a kiss
in the gloaming

We hurl coconuts to the ground
circumambulate the Shiva Lingam shrine
at the Yoga Shakti  Ma Ashram
my grandsons little Sean and Alex
tug the temple bell after each round
ringing in the New Year
above, the moon full, white candle
glows
in Shiva’s dreadful locks
and cobras looped around
His sapphire neck dare not hiss
Auspicious One!
drink the halahala  poison of hatred, anger,
lust, jealousy and pride lodged
like an arrow deep in our hearts
churn the ocean of nectar
and awaken the
sleeping Self
cradled softly in a  manger
swaddled, peacefully
within

all my orifices
are fully dilated
in great expectation
swirling, ballooning out into infinity
like the great womb
fontanel
in the heavens
that holds so
much starry darkness
yet
receives Your Light
beyond measure

Please enjoy a new poetry recording:
(sorry you have to type the address in manually)
http://www.sairapture.com/lotus-nectar--audiovisual-poetry-recording.html

The Jasmine smiles
her tiny ivory trumpets
curving upward like elephant tusks
miniature cream colored cornucopia
quaffing silver showers
from my garden hose

I blink though the fine spray
a rainbow apparition
ripples midair

“Look Ma...” I whisper gently
“a rainbow...”

my Mother standing beside me
in the garden...leaves her
Alzheimer’s world for a moment
remembering..........

God’s Beauty, Wonder and Splendor

Dedicated to my Mom who passed away with Alzheimer's 2/1/07

Airborne
the light holds us aloft
like starry lights
radiant with breath
in goodness we rise
fragile wings
we are loved
cherished
remembered
every 17 seconds a prayer
gently whispered
can save…
is a lifeline
thrown deep into the
abyss

I love my little Buddha husband
sometimes I watch him as he naps
his face assuming the soft delicate
lines of a child or an angel
asleep on God's *****

I observe him in the garden
through the glass patio door
reflective light of the noonday sun
splashing gold over his bent form

Gently he snips fragrant rose blossoms
arranging a charming feng shui bouquet
for our kitchen counter

Cuddling close and cozy on our
chocolate brown love sofa
as evening casts a starry
love spell

I Thank God for such a
blessed and sacred life and especially
for my little Buddha's delight

( I am Happy to announce the publication of my new poetry book: 108 Bhakti Kisses, The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Day Gopi by Sonya Ki Tomlinson available on Amazon  
http://amzn.com/0984787216)
Happy and Holy Holidays



108 bhakti kisses
Courting Your adoring feet
108 Names of God
adorn the temple gates
where I kneel close to
Your precious Feet
108 Crystal mala beads
poised like stars passing
one by one over my fingers
tiny bridges across
an immense and luminous expanse
Infinite frontier
The Soul returning to its Source
offspring of Light
I look to the Heavens
my sustenance
thunderheads, distant mist
solitary black cameo shape
of a bird soaring swiftly
vanishes into
ballooning, billowing
blue wilderness of Your eyes

Sai Krishna
what magic have you wrought
the sideshows and acrobatics
of the world no longer entice
robotically I go through the motions
of daily living
my mind totally absorbed in You

Captivating Lord
You have performed a sleight of heart
and I am hopelessly smitten
fatally attracted I stalk Your
charming footsteps
planning my sweet ambush

Alluring  Giridhari
the mid-night air is
dulcet
and heady aroma of
jasmine enchants the Soul
on the soft earth
I have drawn a sacred white circle
a magical mandala
under a pyramid of stars
I wait

Elope with me Lord, swiftly we can sail
so far from the world's undertow
and swirling eddies

Spirit me away beloved
to that enchanted island within Your
heart

In that secluded place my
eyes will envision only Your
resplendent form

My tongue will sing
only verses
that please Your divine ears

My hands will love and serve
only Your Lotus Feet

The doctor rubbed my sore shoulder
spraying copious amounts of analgesic compound
to freeze the area
from the side of my eye I caught the
silver glint of a 6 inch needle poised
to penetrate my quivering shoulder
with cortisone
intense pain exploded through my consciousness
as the syringe fracked into the deeper regions of
my shoulder

Afterwards, while reflecting on this incident
I thought about polarities and Newton’s Law:
“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”
The pain I had just experienced did not occur in a vacuum
Somewhere along the time continuum I’d set up that opposite
swing of the pendulum

I recollected all the intense moments of extreme and dizzying
sense enjoyment, lust and gratification
my mind has sought and indulged in with rabid satisfaction
always wanting more, restless, never content or at peace

When we examine this world, and its quintessential duality
we are confronted with extremes at every angle
Hot, cold, up, down, win, lose
We can’t have birth without death and so on
hmm…. I thought as the enlightenment bulb
went off in my head
This is why many great sages and saints
fostered a way of life that
transcended duality

Lord Buddha extolled the “Middle Path”
He described the middle way as moderation
between the excesses of carnal indulgence
and self mortification

Aristotle gave us the “Golden Mean”
“every virtue is a mean between two extremes, each of which is a vice.”

Sathya Sai Baba states:
“The object of meditation is equanimity,
the object of equanimity is samadhi (enlightenment or self realization)"

This beautiful quote by Bhagavan Baba is redolent with wisdom
and sublime beauty:

“Surrender to God and to life means the absence of duality
and being of the same nature as God.
But such a state is beyond man’s will.
Surrender is when doer, deed and object are all God.
It comes naturally to a heart filled with love for God.
God is as a spring of fresh and sweet water in the heart.
The best tool to dig a well to that inexhaustible source and
savor its sweetness, is Japa (Chanting God’s Name)

The nurse wrapped a warm toasty blanket
around me as I waited for my MRI.
I wondered how many bodies this blanket
had warmed as folks sat
worrying about their perishable bones.
Then the thought came as clear as a bell
ringing, resounding, echoing from the apex of
a very high Himalayan mountain peak:
"I go on forever...I go on forever"
A gurney carrying a man in
obvious pain shuttled by.
I felt the sun rising over that mountaintop
splashing my face and
all the patients in the MRI room
“We go on forever…We go on forever…!"

dressed like a Madras bride
all weighted down in gold
held aloft on a bejeweled
palanquin
I search for the Luminous One
in the eyes of the topaz idol
adored by many
my hands are sewn together in
devotional prayer
and my lips are blue from
chanting Your 1008 Names
my heart has grown
soft as your lotus petaled feet
dancing over the hills of Brindavin
Divine lad clasp me to Your
imperishable breast
whisper the words of eternity
into my yearning ears

Om
Om
Om

Before the dew evaporates

on rose petals misty with tears

and birds seated on lofty branches

sweeten the air with rapturous song



Before the scorching Saturn Sun

at high noon

holding his granite karmic slate

burns us to a crisp

for our sad and loveless deeds



We must awaken early

shake off sloth and slumber



Close to the amber footsteps of dawn

Brahmamuhurtam

Love's breath kindling bright

the embers of Sat Chit Ananda

Eternal Being, Awareness and Bliss



"The function of the Scriptures is to guide people toward living a perfected life on Earth and repeatedly remind them of the goal, which should be nothing short of achieving Divinity itself. But those who spurn the teachings and guidance of the Scriptures and act only on the impulses of their desires will not achieve perfection and divinity, only misery.

" Let the Scriptures tell you what you should and should not do, Arjuna. Know what the right choices are and live up to them. It is simpler than you think. When you or anyone is firmly on the road to enlightenment there is no conflict at all between what you do and what the Scriptures advise." Bhagavan Gita,  interpreted by Jack Hawley, Chapter, 16, Vs. 23, 24

I listen for the caramel sound
of your sweet voice
sitting on
a weathered old bench
at Vista 3 in Erna Nixon park
the wind sighs where
so many have waited
I listen for the still small voice
a mosquito whines in my ear
and the lanky shadows of
late afternoon backpacking
through the swampy wetlands
listen too….
flowers bloom, long trumpets
from our ears
I catch a glimpse of the One
with lotus petaled lips and orange
robes
disappearing just beyond the
vermilion horizon
I run to catch up with You
O elusive One
always one step ahead of me

listen to the pitter patter of
my heart

http://www.sairapture.com/karunanta-ranga.html

We shared the same bunk bed
in the tiny Astoria projects apartment
I laugh to myself recalling the 3 AM singing sessions
we crooned right along with the Bradshaw brothers
stocking caps plastered to their heads
doo-wopping on the benches below
beautiful voices framing the cold,
unforgiving, angular brick buildings and ghetto nights
Sis, you were my head pall bearer
shouldering the shoe-box casket
along with an odd collection of project kids
forming a procession up 27th avenue
towards the green steeple church on the hill
solemnly we laid Pixie the cat to rest
“Last Looks” I quipped before lowering the box
she had accidentally slipped out of the window
and was not as lucky as Winston Parks
a young toddler who had fortunately
landed in the bushes
when our newborn twin brothers, Chris and Pat
surprised our parents bringing the count to 5 siblings
I officially became the 2nd mom
a reluctant teen, my head buried in a book
simultaneously rocking a twin carriage and stroller
LOL...seems like only yesterday we were camped out
in apartment #6B planning all sorts of mischief
now there is a pile of little shoes next to my door
and the next generation trudging in
with water pistols, bubbles and coloring books

My heart throbs
Your name
Om Namah Shivaya
all the peaks of Kailash
are melting
with the ardor of my love

David peered out the glass
patio door commenting on how
straight and tall the Florida pine tree
bordering our property was
except for the numerous pine needles
and cones burgeoning forth from its branches
it was truly a straight and narrow trunk

Well, I responded, pine represents purity
and immaculacy
I remember my Mom scrubbing
our house with pine-sol
schools and buildings
were also steeped in the
overwhelming scent of
pine

Native Americans believed
allowing pine needles to
brush the crown of the head
cleansed the aura of all negativity

In fact the pineal gland or third eye
of Lord Shiva
is shaped like a tiny pine cone
and harbors the ability to know
the past, present and future

Pine trees are emerald guardians
of the forest
virtuous, protective, refreshing and invigorating
rising in solitary splendor
its lofty height allows a broader view
and larger perspective of things

David and I leaned back on our sofa
the balmy wind
whistling clean and sweet through
the benevolent branches of the
noble pine

My sweet darling grandson Sean Sai
asked me to pray with him over a dead bug.
We placed our palms together and prayed for the little bug
lying on its back with four legs sticking up in the air.
His brother complained to me that Sean has been praying
for all the dead bugs and critters he comes across.
I told him that's okay he will get closer to God.
Sean looked at me with his twinkling wise eyes and said:
"Grandma if you get close to God you will have good luck!"
Isn't that so very precious ~ out of the mouth of babes so much wisdom

there's a fairy with a harp
a white moon spirit
in my garden

at twilight when
purple iris tides flood
the western horizon
and the evening star
hovers brightly over
her ***** head
she tiptoes past the
Lakshmi lotus fountain
tossing golden coins at our feet
and if in the mood
she swings in the jhoola with me

when the atmosphere thins
and we see through the walls
our imaginations have built
if you listen with a
fine-tuned ear you can
surely hear her
Celtic swan~song rippling...
carrying us across
gossamer wavelengths
to distant luminous shores

the jhoola is damp from
evening rains
still I enjoy swinging under
misty twilight skies
the moon beaming a toothless grin

Funny how it all feels so real
solid, permanent
I’ll always be Sonya ki
in this familiar body,
surroundings and place

I gaze at puddles
of silvery water glistening
over the garden beds
visions from the past float to the
surface
not too long ago I was living in
Arkansas, and before that the big apple
childhood memories of my mother’s
comforting voice and soft lap
eclipses the other images morphing
into a cascade of ever changing
ephemeral moments in time

If nothing stays the same then
what is it that resounds through
the hills and valleys of my being
like an eternal echo

That fixed point where the sun never rises nor sets
Splendor enthroned within
Immortal witness
Beloved

“Consciousness is neither inward turned nor outward turned nor both
It is not undifferentiated, it is beyond cognition and non cognition.
Not experienced by the senses nor known by comparison or inference,
incomprehensible, unthinkable and indescribable,
pure consciousness, the real Self, the cessation of all phenomena,
tranquil, all-blissful, one without a second,
this fourth state (Turiya ), the Atma (Real Self)
(Eternal Witness)
is to be realized”
~Mandukya Upanishad

i cover my head with the
golden hem of my sari
and wipe away charcoal  tears
streaming black with kohl pencil

lips red as *** *** whisper
how much I love you

Your face a shimmering reflection
appears in the deep patina pools
of my crystal prayer beads

Only Your Name
eases this heartache and
helps to keep sanity

Invisible One
fill my nostrils with
the scent of jasmine
and the alluring music of
Your Murali

Clay circles that allows
my hands to almost touch
ribbed startle of your
Soul in flight

That permits my breath
snake's tongue
to probe inside echoes
of a time you weren't so
sad and mocking

Wing tips brushing
floating face down
in keenness
of memory
I join lines running rivers
of peyote
stretch skin across a
stone sphinx
silently relive the
enigma

Please share the warm embrace of my new Poetry book:
108 Bhakti Kisses, The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Day Gopi
http://amzn.com/0984787216

carefully I cradled the garden seeds
depositing them in the incubating
warmth of the earth's black womb
then buried my heavy heart there for a season
I thought of my cousin Roger who had just
relinquished the magical breath that animates
all living beings in this universe
it didn't matter that he had abused his body and
was an emotional wreck most of his brief life
more like a brother, fond memories of innocent play,
mischievous fun and a generous, loving persona
poked through fresh and green
like tender infant shoots
these were the perennials, the lasting bouquets
that could never be laid to rest
the fluffy double orange hoop skirts of the hibiscus
dancing in the corner
and the African daisies laughing purple faces
make me smile
I could feel my cousin's Spirit whispering in
the gentle Florida breeze
"hey, cuz, life goes on.......forever!"

Radiance of Your ketheric kiss
is all i have left....
sleepless i pace through
the long snowbound polar night
listen to the wolf's forlorn howl
and a woman weeping in the
nether-lands
this abominable separation!
tracking Your crystal footprints
with my heart
Hari!
can you not hear the Soul's lament
sighing over remote, frostbitten blue
trails
that lead nowhere if You are not
present
Companion of Heaven!
when will You visit my tent again?

I found the perfect fountain to
to feng shui our fall garden:


A bronze Buddha seated high on a lotus.
Waterfalls cascade


I wondered what flowers to plant
as an offering and came across
this lovely inscription:


"Blooming azaleas
 in a hollow on a cliff.

A Buddha stands."

In shimmering ebb of
evening's closing tide
I kneel and kiss
Your jeweled footprint
above a trillion super stars
illumine the temple dome
and a crescent moon floats
near the crown of my head
I've forgotten my name
and the way home
long ago washed out to sea

there is no existence apart
from You

I wander the dazzling shoreline
a cobra draped around my neck

I am Shiva
the thousand petaled One

Serenity of the Buddha fountain
graces our garden
His wise presence flows
steadily over thorns, thistle
and rocks that jut across the pathway
creating obstacles in our lives

There was turmoil, misery,
calamity in His generation
just like today
The Ravanas of our time
prowl earth’s gardens
seeking to abduct and ravage
goodness, love, purity, truth

Illustrious Gautama gained the perfect
peace that passeth understanding
by treading the middle path and realizing
that pushing the envelope
indulging in all types of extreme behavior
sabotages our mental, emotional and physical
well being

He declared to His disciples as they
wandered through the world that
desire is the cause of all suffering
and like the Master Jesus encouraged them
“to be in the world not of it”
This He knew could be actualized by
the right use of the senses,
loving, compassionate service to mankind
and having a still, tranquil mind
through the process of
meditation

Twilight dusk blankets the garden
The Buddha twinkling under a
panorama of evening stars
a crystal ball spinning luminously
in his hands
illumines our beaten path
from His radiant pedestal,
beneath the Bodhi tree
“The Sun of Enlightenment Shines”

Peace of Christmas
suffuses the
bhajan hall
settling like snowfall
over the manger in Bethlehem

Its no wonder
on my way to kirtan
a white car dashed in front of me
embossed over its rear view window
was the Om glittering forth
reminiscent of snow crystals
softly descending from
the lofty Himalayas

Certainly this was turning out
to be quite a
magical evening
there was a hint of Sai in the atmosphere
although the devotees were sparse
we sang our hearts out
Yuletide hymns and Hare Krishna

Carolers on the door steps of God

I blow the feathery brown corpse
of a moth gently off the window sill
misting gray rain outside adds to
the pallor of the moment
I think to myself - everything is
dying around me
and my life too ebbing with
each ancient breath
despite this revelation... I know
there is a forever part to us
I sense it in the still, deathlike
suspension of my meditation
my body an empty temple
one pointed cathedral steeples
pyramid to infinity
I kneel on the hassock within
reposing in the splendor of a Presence
undefinable, a hush of love
ushers over me
tears pour from
stained glass eyes
that unmistakable kiss
sustained caress
blessed assurance

The spider’s eye glittered
from the bottom corner of the desk
She was a huge mamma jamma
hiding behind a silken web

I shrieked and David came running into
the room

I find spiders scary, their hairy black legs
and small monstrous form is enough
to send a series of shudders up
my spine

Nevertheless “Charlotte” plays a vital role
in Nature’s global ecosystem
without Araneae our world would be
overrun with insects devouring
crops and spreading disease

In fact, grandmother spider from
Native American culture created the world
spinning her alchemical web,
embroidered with dew she hurled
the dreamcatcher into the
heavens transmuting it into stars

How cool is that?

David carefully captured the little goddess
releasing her to the night winds and starry
firmament

As we turned to go back inside I caught a glimpse
of a willowy silhouette, grandmother spider
grinning broadly
giving us the thumbs ups

Your kiss hangs suspended
hibernating somewhere
between here and
the Smokies
Indian Winter
rains pelt
the earth
brilliant feathers
woven though my hair
red *** ***
dot on my third eye
I kneel
a Hopi Corn maiden
planting new seeds
hoping for the
harvest of your
Love

We are celibate now
the sweet rivers that
once ran between our thighs
have dried up....
gutted fish lie panting on
shores littered with
caviar and vacant,
abandoned oyster shells
girding up our *****
we begin the arduous,
formidable, slippery, icy
ascent to Mount Kailash
Your soulful, blue eyes
merge with the
azure heavens above
our arms linked together
You whisper warmly
"Ready Mama?"
I take a deep mystic breath
surrendering to the vast call within
"Yes Papa..."

seductive dream
my lashes and tears entangled in yours
the heat of our bodies evaporating
in the morning mists
another round begins
and the coil of flesh
swallows itself
incessantly

Since the election
Beloved
I've been deplorably depressed
my heart has lept into
a starless river of tears
and is swept away

I've seen you passing through my
dreams, Swami
a shadow robed in raven black

Dearest Lord
Your Name is still alive on
my lips
although I clutch a rosary
of onyx pearls

And Pray..... Thy Will Be Done

When will Your bride
adorned in summer jasmine
blush the golden pink cattleya orchid
hues of dawn

And dance with You, oblivious
across Heaven's sapphire
august dome

Divine city
in the stars...
in my heart
where my Lord
of Kailash, Sathya Sai
dwells
My Soul is a blazing comet
streaking towards You

Sai Bolenath

When will I know?

Grasp?

Realize?

That You are mine
forever?

You kissed me
in empress purple
of twilight

while my body
hovered like a
hummingbird

between two worlds

sipping nectar
from your lips

The lucky red Chinese lanterns filled the restaurant atmosphere
with a happy glow. David and I had just concluded
our meal and set about opening our fortune cookies.
David’s read: “Some extra bucks are floating your way”
“I like that!“ he exclaimed, his face lighting up like the
lucky lanterns swaying from the ceiling.

I opened mine: “From the heart you draw true happiness.”
“I like that even better,” quipped David. I agreed contemplating
on how true wealth is not measured by the amount of
green paper or gold bullion we can cram into our pockets
but by the nature and vast reservoir of love stored
up in our hearts. For it is love that brings the bliss of
self knowledge and makes clear our purpose and path of service.

Of course, the green stuff is necessary for a balanced,
optimum life but it should not become the be all
or end all of our lives.

Sathya Sai Baba says: “Wealth does not accompany one
when he leaves the world. Wealth is necessary only for
meeting one’s essential needs.Too much wealth is
an embarrassment like an over-sized shoe.
Too little of it is likely to be painful like a tight-fitting shoe.
So, it is desirable to have only that amount of wealth
that is adequate for one’s basic needs. You should
try to promote the wealth of good conduct, strive to earn
the eternal wealth of the wisdom of the Spirit.
Happiness is union with God."
Lots of Prema,
sonya ki

“Honey you got yellow pollen all over your nose!”
exclaimed the cashier at Walmart  hurrying to hand me a tissue.
I had stopped to ask her if 4 O’Clocks did well here in florida.
“Oh-h-h” I giggled, “that’s from sniffing the Easter lilies.”
Lately, I have been trying to figure out how to
to add more fragrance to our southern garden.

There is plenty of color, the hibiscus has donned her frilly, coquettish
tangerine and red petticoats
The double begonias are showing off gorgeous salmon pink bonnets
much to the chagrin of their ******* clad penta sisters in
neighboring ceramic pots

Cape May daisies twirling dozens of yellow parasols
caper coyly across the lush terrain
and the newly planted milkweeds hold the promise
of glorious monarch butterflies alighting
on their burgeoning buds

For me the paradise of having a garden
right outside my door is a blessing of
huge proportions
a native New Yorker, I clearly remember
gazing out my window only to be greeted
by another building blocking any scrap of
green or organic color the cluttered urban landscape
had to offer

Thanking the sales lady I dashed off to Lowes
and found a jewel hiding amongst the rows
of spring plants and avid garden shoppers
Star of Tuscany a rose-like jasmine with a
perfume scent only angels could have designed

Whisking her away along with the enchanting
confederate jasmine I hurried home to plant
and welcome our sweet new companions

Later that evening while
swinging in the jhoola at Easter sunset
scarlet, gold and purple hues
cast a glow of hope over the garden of eden

Mother Nature renews herself perennially
shedding all that is not needed or useful
she leaves the sepulcher behind
wrapped in the throes and ecstasy of eternal love
she gives birth to eternal life

Vernal breezes gently rocked
the garden jhoola
the blue sky vine looping
across the butterfly bench
created a festoon of stunning amethyst flowers
Ram Namavali was approaching
contemplating Him, Lion of the Raghu dynasty
embodiment of dharma and source of bliss
my heart and lips blossomed open
a garland of melodious Ram
bhajans perfumed the noonday air
after the sweet singing session
I did a few Yoga stretches and
decided to pick some luscious black mulberries
I approached the mulberry tree skyrocketing in the
western corner of the backyard
lifting large heart shaped
green leaves I found one or two ripe berries
“Hmm” I thought to myself I wonder what happened to all
the mulberries?
Parting another section of the tree, two orange speckled eyes
met mine exploding in innocent wonder
there seated nonchalantly on a happy branch was a
pretty lil’ brown dove
“So it’s you who’s been goggling all the mulberries!” I exclaimed
caught “red-winged” the bewildered bird took off scampering
across the sky
I gathered my meager but delicious bounty added a few frozen
blue berries squirted a heap of whipped cream
then myself and Rama (the kitty) eagerly licked the platter clean

Beloved
the restless mind and wayward senses
have ceased their tormented struggle
insatiable wanderlust


Bliss of
Your adorable Presence
holds them captive!


The serpent who devours  time
is caught
in a divine stranglehold
and
welcomes only Your ardent embrace
kiss of life


Shedding skin
I am free to love You
body, mind and soul

The petals of a rose
are a soft kiss from God

Droplets of rapture
dark honey
fall quietly

Inside suffering and joy
behold so much beauty
we emerge from our pain
amidst love's first blush

Skintight, crushed crepe
buds unfold
tiny white tombs crinkle open
cashmere flutter of a billion butterflies
kiss the sky, kiss the day, kiss the universe

We pause in the expanding bliss and ananda
falling deeper and deeper in Love

I wrap myself in a shawl
of prayers
shut out the pain
and suffering
in dark silence
illumined by Your presence
I am

There is a sacred path
that winds through
my heart

It sings God's Name
as I dance ecstatically
along enchanted gopi banks
and over
whirling, warbling brooks

I marvel as a black and
white checkered,
red tufted woodpecker
carves God's Name on
a thankful tree trunk

Mirabai, Kabir and Rumi
wave their colorful prayer flags
verses of pure love
and devotion cling to the
very air we breathe

The Bhakti path forges
unafraid through
the bleak, brooding
forest of desires

Husky winds blow around
ghostly, skeleton branches
that claw helplessly
at the night skies
whispering valiant stories of
Rama's exile and
Krishna's triumph

Another tree it's hoary arms
outstretched
resembling a cross
bleeds, remembering the sacrifices
and love of Jesus, The Lamb of God

Trekking further into the dense
unforgiving jungle
seated in Lotus pose
a Golden Buddha
immersed in
rapturous meditation
opens His eyes for an instant

The sun rises in the east
I kneel and kiss His
glorious feet

Leaving the tangled woods
behind
suffering, godforsaken
figures of homeless people
sleeping alongside
this good samaritan road
emerge

Embodiments of God
spirits marred by defeat
and agony
stare listlessly, flies circling
oblivious to the
blistering desert heat

I stop to share a prayer,
cup of water, some fresh
baked bread from my knapsack
and a ray of hope

The path abruptly ascends
purple mountain mists
crown the summit
holy footprints of saints,
yogis, fellow pilgrims
indelibly christen
and guide my steps

Angels sweep the road
ahead tossing rose petals
and victory blossoms

Om peals
across the enlightened
Bhakti path

...and an ancient God awakens....

If You could grant me one wish
Prabhuji
One burning boon
it would be to always
remember You
when my ashes
merge with the Ganges and
pages of this life
are cast into flames
of oblivion
my eyes will open again as
if in a dream
to the darkness of this world

do not hide Beloved
incognito
make haste
during the early hours of
earthly life
Awaken
grant me the vision of
Your orange robe
smell of Your sadhu skin
blessed kiss
of Your lotus feet
Saving Grace
of knowing
Who I am

I bathe my Father’s aged, worn, peeling
Nile brown feet
feet that once proudly trod the noble earth
from his island home in the Caribbean
to the island of Manhattan
around the world as a WW II vet and back
these feet are raw with life
patting them dry, gently filing the gnarled nails
even simple tasks like this so hard
for him to do now
and tender touches few and far between
He seems to enjoy the gentle foot
massage with sweet oils
my thoughts soak in rich memories of
Dad’s wise words and honest living
His imperfections, too, a monument,
a testament to one determined
to stay the course, to not quit, despite
emotional, economic and ethnic obstacles
anointing his feet with more oil,
I reflect on the early pain between us
how the balm of Love and Forgiveness
which soothes and softens
all calloused, hardened feelings
blessed us with healing
clasping my Father’s feet in my hands
I bow to his Lotus feet
he was my first glimpse of God and
Unconditional Love

It totally blows away

Every speck that we think we are

Our proud plans, delirious dreams,

frightened cries, desperate prayers

Crystal dust settling on the moonlit face

of the Sphinx

All That Remains is God

Tonight I drink the ruby wine
of God’s sublime name
my rosewood mala dangling
alluringly over my fingers
each bead calling Him
each sip of His precious
name a holy grail
a divine elixir
brewed in Heaven’s
vineyard


Drunk on a love
that the world can never
understand
I sing His name
and dance through the
moonlit streets  
with Ramakrishna, Mira Bai
and all the crazy
God intoxicated Saints

how sacred are the raindrops
passage to another world

if I were a raindrop
luminous crystals
window wash the acid sky
and hot sultry earth
**** and span

Drumming down
a fresh start
blessed beginning
for all moccasins to tread
the path of the heart

Sacrificial waters
life giving monsoons
suckle newborn sprouts
feed snow capped
mountain rivers, raging bull
oceans
and the tiny sea inside
a mother’s womb

If I were a raindrop
a merciful tear falling from
God’s eye