The crux of embrace

The crux of embrace

As its fragrance is hidden in the rose,

my Beloved said,

so My presence is hidden in the human heart.

Under our noses, Lord – unobserved

within ourselves and others.

Only faith and desire keep us daring

the crux of embrace.

Yes, the heart gets tipsy at the first nip  

of Your wine -- dances in its cage;      

deeper in the cup, it grows weepy and ponderous.

And when Your fire sweeps through –

first, a searing pain, then ... burned rubble

from which to look out sheepishly upon the world.

But, You promised us ... You promised Your presence  

every moment woven into the heart’s delicate fabric

so pervasively, the rose, having never set
tender foot beyond its vast domain, 

                                                           

goes about wailing and weeping

at the absence of its own scent.

O child of God, turn from the world’s enticements

to discover within, the fragrance of God.


                            

Your brush strokes

Your brush strokes

O Beloved, tonight, as these prayers are being said,

looking out upon the bowed heads of Your lovers,

in my heart, also, heads are bowed.

Voices blending in arti; there are voices

          and harmonies within me as well.

And, as I kneel for Your darshan,

in the tomb-shrine of my heart, there is, also, a kneeling.

On this nondescript hill, a small group of Your lovers

has gathered tonight from around the world.

We have come to bow down to the holiest part within us

          and all human beings.

What a long journey to reach this humble abode!

O Beloved, in Your Tomb-Shrine I have found my refuge.

In the shrine of my heart, let me offer You refuge.

Paint the walls within it in Your lovely brush strokes,

scenes from a life of Purity and holy Love.

O child of God, garland the stone of your heart-shrine.

Prepare it lovingly for the arrival of the Guest.


                        (from The Garden of Surrender)

Song link -- I carry Your love

I carry Your love                                                       capo 1 

          A            E              A                    E           

In the hours of heartache just before the dawn

my wheels keep rollin’ through the north Georgia rain

and I’m feeling so lonely like the last man on earth

so I offer my prayers and I whisper Your name

there’s a yearning for comfort in my heart and in my soul

there’s a sad old song on the radio dial          

and I missin’ you so much and I’m long overdue               

Lord knows what I’d give just to see You smile

                         A                             E

thank heaven above from a heart below

                     A                           E

I carry Your love everywhere I go

                        A                           E

and Your holy name, I whisper it low

                         A                           E

and carry Your love everywhere I go

                         A                            E

and carry Your love everywhere I go

                 A            E                             A                 E

down a lonely ol’ highway through the night in the rain

Feel like I’ve drifted too far from my home

but I know that You’re with me as I am with You

love binds us together wherever I might roam

My joys and my sorrows not long for this world

so I do what I can, Lord, and I leave You the rest

‘cause my home’s over yonder.  I’m a stranger in this world

I know You roll with me nearer than my breath

I carry Your love