I wonder what secret
The trees whisper to the breeze?
Do the birds hear that secret
And announce it in their song?

Does the wind hold it
And drop it in the seas?
Does the sea speak it out
And share it with the stars?

Do the heavens then resound
With the secret of the trees?

And the clouds,
Oh yes! Those clouds
Blue, black and grey
Is that why come rushing?

Across the seas to caress
With gentle rain the trees
And whisper,
"Heaven knows your heart,
There are no secrets from God."

The trees smile and sway
Fulfilled and complete in love.

Sometimes the rain drops
are so big and succulent
like mangoes
and tears
and temple bells
at dawn

The parched earth
smiles
and welcomes all
in her embrace
the rain drops
ripe mangoes
endless tears
and mystic sound
of temple bells
at dawn

Sometimes you smile at the universe
Offer love, sweetness
Pure energy

Sometimes life smiles back,
Sometimes not

You still keep smiling
In the knowing
That the flower in your heart
Smiles with you

The river of love
from deep within
bubbles with joy
to join
The unending ocean
Of truth, purity and stillness
Eternal silence
In love
In smiles
In sweet gratitude

Time enfolds me in layers
like the creases in a saree
the petals in a rose
from childhood to youth
and then on to middle age
then to elder-hood
and then?

To that moment in time
when we are free from time

the rose blooms
absolved from this body
dissolved in eternity
Blessed in the freedom
Of the soul

We make up our stories
Our logic and rationalizations
For what happened
That shouldn't have
And
For what didn't happen
That should have

We say
God is benevelont
The universe is your friend
Don't worry
All is well and always has been

Yes, these are good stories
And maybe they are true

But what can i tell my tears?
The arise from a deep well
within
my heart
The well of tears

They cry as they wait
For the moment and day
When this friendly universe
Makes up its own mind
To bless my clouded eyes
with the vision
of Thine Feet

Blue Feet, Bamboo flute
My life, my love
My refuge eternal

The highest choice,
The sweetest and very best
Always and in every moment
Love.
Choose Love.

The highest and the best
But is it the easiest?

In the face of calamity,
Bitter, vicious calumny,
            How to choose love?

In the midst of trauma
heartbreak, anguish and grief
            How to bring love?

How to be a spring breeze?
When broken by disease?

How to be radiant light?
When facing darkness and fright?

Step by step,
smile by smile,
Moment by moment
breath by breath
i choose love.

With Your name as the anchor
My divine beloved savior
I choose love

Again and again
And yet again
To become
Moment by moment
breath by breath

That which thou art
Sweet love divine.

Little moments
From the past
Come flitting in my mind
Like feathers
Or flower petals
Or leaves in the breeze
They come, they dance
And flit away
From the white screen
Of my mind

I see, I know, I smile
This too shall pass

The eternal canvas of Emptiness
Freedom
Peace
Silence
Alone remains
Always has been
and
always will

My heart is soft today
Thinking of the suffering
Of all those who are near
And those who are far
The known and unknown
Living beings everywhere
in pain - in their body and mind
Deep within in their souls
in any kind of tears
fears, trauma, heartache

I raise my eyes to heaven
Pray for light to surround them
The fragrance of love
Succor, consolation, respite
Now and forever more

They ask me why i chant Your name?
Is it to gather myself within?
For focus, clarity and mindfulness?

Is it a prayer to God above?
To reserve a spot in His Divine abode.
A place for my soul in heavenly realms?

Is it for my desires manifold?
Health, wealth and family
oh yes! And a little comfort too?

If truth be told,
        My Beloved Divine
I don't know why
         i chant this name of Thine
I chant it once
         And then again
And then again
        And again and again
                     It is so sweet.

My thoughts are scattered again
Like a jar of mustard seeds
Fallen all over
the kitchen floor
from the window till the door

One flash of Your smile
They all come back as one
Mesmerized.

Born of Earth
To return to ashes
In the lightening span
We call this life

I pray
My Master Divine
To make this little light
I call my life
Your own song

Bless the last note
To fall
As dust
At Your Lotus Feet

The human heart
Seeks understanding
"There,there, there...."
"Now, now, now...."

The human heart,
Seeks forgiveness,
"It's not your fault."
"I would have done the same."

The human heart,
Seeks love
hugs, smiles and chocolate

The human heart,
Breaks with what is seeks

The human heart
Mends with what it gives

Understanding and love
Forgiveness and hugs
Smiles and flowers

Oh yes!
And chocolates too!

Is life a journey
A seeking
A destination
Almost there, but always
Just a little far
Away
In the near horizon

Or

Is life a song?
Music with highs and lows
We dance fast or slow
With a smile or tears
But dance, nevertheless
Each moment is
What it is – a destination
Complete and fulfilled

Like each note of music
And each step of dance

Tell me beloved friend
What do you think of life?
A journey or a dance?

My heart bleeds
For the trees
We cut
For us
For metro and highways
To join the global race
Of frantic

Helpless I throw
These words into space
Pray for natures’s grace
and
Forgiveness

I wonder
if our children’s children’s children
Will tell their
children’s children’s children

Once upon a time on Earth
There were trees
birds and bumble bees

You can see them even now
In the prehistoric 2-D movies

i love You
For no reason
And then again
For every possible reason

i love You
for the clear sky
Blue – just like you

i love You
for the clouds
And thunder
Your Divine dance

i love You
for the rains
mixing with my tears
and taking them across
this crazy worldly ocean
To Your Lotus Feet
where
dissolve
My heart
And soul
From now to eternity

An unexpected bubble of joy
germinates in my heart
dances in my throat
and arrives on my lips
as a sweet whisper
Your name

Sweet is Your creation
Sweeter still art Thou

Grace is every breath
Blessed still
Is the breath
Which
Intertwined with Your name
Holds in that moment
Infinity

Residing in Your name
You expand to fill my being

Every cell dances
And love pours out
To all creation

Filling this vastness
with light
Blue as Your Feet

Someday in the future
A few years hence
Or maybe decades
You will look at your pic
From today and say,
“Wow! How young I looked!
How charming!”

Why wait for that day?
Look in the mirror
Today and say,
“Wow! How young I am now!
How charming!”

Smile!
You look great – inside and out.

Sometimes
huge drops of sorrow
fall on my heart
like hail from heaven
i miss heaven
heaven misses me.
i miss God
Does God miss me?

A piece of my heart
Became my little baby
She smiles
Rainbows envelop me
She cries
I hold her
The universe in my arms

You are so vast
Bigger than the mountains
All the stars, skies and planets
A zillion galaxies and then some more
This entire universe and beyond

Yet, Oh Yet!
sweet beloved mine
how is it?
That You fit completely
into my little heart?

Smile at me sweetly
In every breath
As i chant Your name
Fulfill my life wholly
with minuscule drops
of tender all pervading love

I release my words
    Into this universe
        Like a peace pigeon

They have no goals
No desire
      To change or teach
No targets
       To impact or reach

Just a message of love
       From my heart to yours

Smile, my beloved
       In the sweetness
            Of this moment

Envelop me
As a feeling
fragrant love
seeping in my every pore

Envelop me
with Your Being
A satin scarf
draping my heart in silence

Envelop me
with your touch
white foam caressing
the ends of mother ocean
holding, dancing and being

Feeling the touch
Touching the Being
Being that one
True infinite eternity
Enveloped in You

It is not possible to erase
Those thoughts, that pain
Those tears, that anguish
Each time i touch them
They awaken again
Like fire from a slumber

Let’s dip gently in goodness

In smiles, in God’s glory
In music, in nature
A little bit here
And then some there
Some sweetness
Some love
Some beauty

Dissolving

Moment by moment
The saltiness of tears
Cleansing the anguish
Healing the pain
Drowning in goodness
All darkness and shame

Tears appear once more
Sweet like a smile
Wrapped in inexplicable joy
Our heart blooms
    And offers itself
        At the altar
                Of peace
                        Dancing
                                with love

The best version
Of this moment
happens when we
accept this moment
Just as it is

The smiles and tears
Anger and fears
Arrive and display
The palette of life
We watch and let go
Let the moment be
As still and as best
As only it knows
To be

We remain observers
In the silent stillness
Of love

Watching and accepting
Responding if need be
From love, for love

Come relax and enjoy
Moment by moment
The best version of life
In the silent sweetness of love.

The universe holds me
Tenderly in her arms
Gently caressing me with
What i desire
With holding from me
That which i yearn

Taking away and giving
Life, people, circumstances
Dreams, disappointments, hope
Music, tears and catastrophe

Each a stroke
A melody
A whisper of sweetness
Eternal expansive
A drop of pure love

How to enter
the magnificence
of this moment?

i know only one way
A single ray
into my heart
Your name
This breath
Intertwine
In eternity
All existence
awakens
now
as a tear drop
of pure love

When i think
of my love
for You
Nothing matters.

Not my work
nor my family
Not this world
nor eternity

i am
you are
love is

And that is the beginning
and the end

Gratitude
The feeling you have
When you win the lottery
without buying a ticket

Gratitude
a smile in your heart
for no reason
or a reason so small
yet a feeling so sweet
Like rainbows dancing
On a snowy night
Amidst sparkling stars

Gratitude is here
Feel her gentle touch

Smile into the sweetness
live in the openness
bloom in the ray
of simple happiness

I send you white light
To fill your cells with radiance
I send you white flowers
To shower you with peace
I send you fragrant incense
To  surround you with love
I send you my heart
To join yours
In tears

i keep waiting for you
To come, to call, to text
Tears run down
And you see monsoon floods
Everywhere

A little thunder here
A little lightening there
Won't do

Please come, my beloved
As the radiant shining sun
Dissolve me in the
Light of pure wisdom
Absorb me
In unending true love

Early at dawn
The sun beams behind the clouds
"Gentle, my love. All is well." He whispers.

The dews sparkle
They kiss the green grass.
"Gentle, my love. All is well." They intone.

The birds chirp.
From their tree home and the skies
"Gentle, my love. All is well." They sing

The flower bud opens
With sweet magical delight
"Gentle, my love. All is well." She smiles.

In traffic and at work
My heart talks to my mind
"Gentle, my love. All is well." She hints.

And with you my sweet reader
I share this message and prayer
"Gentle, my love. All is well."

We travel the world
searching
book to book, blog to blog
Guru to guru, mentor to trainer
Looking, finding, losing

Ultimately return
Empty handed

Only to find it all
And then some more
In the secret
smile
of the heart

In the tenderness of love
Beauty blooms
In the silence of peace
Compassion smiles

In gentle harmony
I am held
And I hold
All of creation
In embrace divine

I hugged a tree
And asked for guidance
The tree whispered

It is not the outside that matters
Only inside
Enter the altar in your heart
Suffused
with the fragrance of love
Light the lamp of silence
Bask in the beauty
Of
Yellow butterflies

Scoop it all up
The light, the love and beauty
And sprinkle it all around
with each word, smile and action
On people, animals and the stars
On the sun and babies
And on the waves and clouds
On toothless grandmas
And little flowers
Keep on and on and on
Living and giving

In that sublime temple
Of God
This creation.

Suddenly past memories
Rose up as turbulent waves
In the ocean of my heart

An avalanche of tears
Arrived as showers
Upon my eyes

Old tears mixed with the new ones
Leaving me
Wondering
Which ones are more salty?

The tall tree
with a thousand branches
wishes it was free
to fly
like the birds.

The birds in the sky
wish they could be still
In one place, every day
Get nourished
and grow effortlessly
like the tall tree
with a thousand branches

To be rooted and yet free
To be free and yet centered

The desire of all life
Begins with awareness
And ends in love.

First day on the job
I pray
The breeze smiles
Trees rustle
Shower benedictions
Upon me
All is well
Always will be

When i want to have
something
i realize
i lose something
i have

The sun takes the moon away
Youth grabs childhood
Smiles take away tears
And love?
Love the entire universe

Take this universe, my love
And give me
Just once
Your smile divine

In the cradle of nature
With blooming flowers
And moon beams
Shimmering sun rays
and
butterflies

We too were planted
As seeds of love

By the Universal Being
Of all that is
That was
and
That ever will be.

Faith happens
when doubt knocks
on the door of my heart
a smile appears
doubt dissolves
faith blooms
Is that what they mean by
listening
To your heart?

I seek
Purity
Simplicity
Of my heart
My very Being

She smiles at me
As flowers
Calls me
With bird song
Cries with me
As raindrops
Hides from me
As rainbows

"I am as you
Everywhere
And always,"
She whispers
In love, as love
Forever

Pure
Simple
Still
Being

I take a break
From
The push of the past
The have-been and might-been
The smallness and anxiety
The self-deprecation
Pain, despair and futility
Of all my activity

I take a pledge
To begin anew
A clean slate
A total break
From the push of the past

A quantum leap
A jump into the river
Of the future
Crystal clear sweet harmony
Waves of sweetness
My Lord's Blue Feet
In my every cell
Heart beat and breath

Suddenly, somehow
The glorious future
The mindless past
Dissolve

Eternity
Subsumes
All
Forever

The season of love
My heart blooms
A hundred million jasmine flowers
Rain from heaven
My Lord Hath come

When you route your life through God
All is always well.

The words of praise and accolades
Are His beneficent gifts.
The treachery, deceit and infamy
Are His divine lessons

Lessons really?
What are they?

Well, actually there is just one
That repeats
Again and again – till we get it.

Open your heart
Expand your mind
Hold all existence
In gentle love

Gorgeous
Big
Juicy
Raindrops

Isn't it time?
For You to come?

Drink up the tears
Of my heart

Hold me
In Your arms
wrapped tightly
with rainbows
All around

Pitter-patter on parched soil
They don't sit pretty
Like dew drops
On flowers at dawn
They just appear
And
keep on appearing
In the silence of sorrow

The longer the silence
The deeper the sorrow
The saltier the tears

Who can understand or fill
The cracks in my desperate heart?
Broken in love
Cracked open with longing
Except those little streams
Of salty tears
Not pretty like dew drops
Not strong like rain drops

Just salty
Just tears
That share
The silence of sorrow

I am a nameless dew drop
On a scent less flower
Longing for my Beloved
To dissolve me in His arms

Fly away oh clouds!
Of dense and dark illusion
Let me cast my eyes just once
Upon the one I love

Before I die
Longing
For His radiant Being.