Friday, June 26, 2020

Abandoned houses

Abandoned houses

Tonight my heart’s fire rages; nothing to do
but throw myself in the river flowing at my Beloved’s feet.

Once, I drifted free as a ghost.  Now I am rooted in holy soil
like the banyan trees on the path to my Beloved’s door.

Under a dormant sky, the restless ocean heaves and sighs.
How can the gulls, darting here and there, ever fathom its depths?

Windows of a long-shuttered room have been thrown open –
to fresh air and sunlight, music and laughter . . . .

Important people of the world, sleep on – moving about
in your dreams; jabbing the air with your fingers.

The mandali are giving out holy prasad.  Those old bodies
remind me of abandoned houses the winds blow through.

O child of God, your heart resides within His heart;
wherever your willfulness leads, remember, the Beloved
          goes with you.

                                           (from The Garden of Surrender, 2004)

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