The Story of a River

a water drop
on a cloud in the sky
doesn't think about
where it is going,
or why it is floating;
it just floats.

a trickle of water
high on a mountain,
doesn't think about
where it is going,
or why it is flowing;
it just flows.

a waterfall pouring itself
into a deep gorge,
doesn't think about
where it is falling,
or why it is gushing;
it just falls.

a river meandering along
vast open plains,
doesn't think about
where it is going,
or why it is wandering;
it just changes course.

this river once was
a drop of water in a cloud in the sky,
a trickle on a mountain up high,
a waterfall plunging into a chasm,
and now a mighty river,
finding its way to the ocean.

the water drop did not worry
about becoming a trickle,
the trickle did not worry
about becoming the waterfall,
the waterfall did not worry
about becoming a river;
the river did not worry
about meeting the vast ocean.

each expressed itself,
each celebrated itself,
each lived its life,
with no hopes, no desires,
but to fulfill itself -
an endless story
of a love for life,
to enjoy the ride
in the river of life!

When the Light Goes Out

when the light goes out
and all you see,
is inky black,
that slowly seeps,
into your being,
into your core,
don't look for a candle,
to light up a door;
look into the inky black,
close your eyes, and
feel it slowly hack,
the layers of soot
hardened with time,
to reveal the lamp
forgotten and left behind.

A Toast to Myself

I raised a cup
to the world,
to another,
to speak of love;
I waited for
that perfect speech,
to hear the others
pronounce their love;
but in that search,
I forgot about
my precious self
that needed love,
and so I raised
a toast to me,
and poured myself
a cup of love.

Mirrors

when I am a bowl -
thoughts drawn in,
converged and closed,
you loom
larger than life, and
I see you no more.

when I am a ball -
full of myself
and thick walls,
you dissolve
into nothingness, and
I see you no more.

when I am real -
with no walls
or dreams to hide,
you are as you are;
love rebounds, and
and I see you inside.

खामोशी और हलचल

खुला हुआ आसमान,
फैला हआ समुन्दर,
छाये हुए बादल,
तड़पती हुई धरती,,
सब मे एक खामोशी है,
सब मे एक हलचल है;
मै देख़ती हू
अपने दिल से तो,
सब मे एक खुशी भ्ररी
सूनापन है,
जो मेरे दिल से कह्ता है
"ज़्ररा ठह्ररो उस सूनापन मे,
उस मे खो जाओ ,
चक  दे उसको एक बार,
और लूट लो उसका मज़ा";
खामोशी मे भी हलचल है,
हलचल मे भी खामोशी है,
जब दिल मे सूनापन छा जाता है,
तो सारे रङ्ग निकलते है -
वो आसमान, वो बादल,
वो समुन्दर, वो धरती,
सब खिलने लगते है,
खामोशी और हलचल
मिलने लगते है

Expression

when I saw You at first,
I didn't know,
that your serene face
could have ripples so,
and then I saw
the bubbling spirit inside,
that was seeking form
to flow out and ride,
on waves that rise
from the ocean floor;
can love be bridled
when it has to flow?

Pain

I often wonder
if the pain you feel
is like mine.
It must be
if we are one.
Each one's pain
wears a new face -
a writhing, a stinging,
a pinprick, a stab;
a needle
that goes deep
through my bones,
to stitch me up
into the whole
that I always was -
pain binds me
to life and love -
yours and mine.

My bucket is ready

don't close the tap,
just let it flow,
my bucket is ready,
I give in to more;
a rush, a steady drip,
don't control the flow,
I want to feel,
I want to watch,
every drop that falls;
I want to hold,
I want to let go,
I want to love,
just a little more.

Love begins with me

no doors
no walls
to be locked in
safe inside;
no windows
no curtains
to open out
or hide;
no thoughts
no dreams
to juggle the mind
or tear the heart;
just a little place
somewhere
deep inside,
to be naked
to be free,
love begins
with me.

Social niceties and "Paying it forward"

Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his 1841 essay Compensation wrote: "In the order of nature we cannot render benefits to those from whom we receive them, or only seldom. But the benefit we receive must be rendered again, line for line, deed for deed, cent for cent, to somebody."

                                 **************************

Our life-learning journey has been plagued with friends, grandparents, neighbours and others, who have looked at us with scorn and worry for not "guiding" or "teaching" or "disciplining" our son for not responding to their social greetings and niceties. So much time is spent on these "Hi's", "bye's", "sorry's", "please's"and "thank you's". I have often wondered why we needed to do that. And while we focus on these words, we often miss out on that faint smile, or a twinkle in the eyes, or the fleeting contact of eye to eye, that probably convey so much more than these often empty words.

Earlier, this used to haunt me and I would get perturbed about handling people's remarks. Not any more. We don't ask our son to say his "hi's", "bye's", "please's", "thank you's" and "sorry's" anymore, except for a gentle reminder, just in case he wants to but has forgotten! Sometimes, he just looks up briefly to say something, and at most times, doesn't even seem to pay attention. We do however talk about all that later with him, and try and present the other person's point of view. We have heard remarks that ranged from " spoiling him" to " total lack of discipline"  to pointing to our " lack of maturity" for "guiding" him. Some have even told him that they wouldn't give him the gift that they had brought for him, if he did not say what they wanted him to say! 

There have been times when I have retorted bluntly to some of these remarks, and times ( more recently) when I have just smiled and held that space, with compassion for the person uttering those words....because saying something would only add to the hurt and insecurity that that person was anyway feeling, when he expected something like this from my son. I have followed my heart on most occasions. I have grown in my understanding of myself and my insecurities...and so I do try harder to understand the same feelings that arise in others who touch our lives. But that has not been easy, as these are soaked in our breath and blood and have become such an integral part of who we are and what we want....and so we are unable to separate these from ourselves, as they are what make up the fabric of our insecure life.

Why is it so? Why do we have to rely on these mundanities to assess ourselves? Do we not have the courage to face someone who doesn't acknowledge us or even love us? Why is that so hard to accept? And why should these be tools to measure how much someone loves us or needs us? But, they are. They are SO important to us everyday, at every moment. We take it so personally if these are not responded to and in an appropriate way. Why? Even kids with special needs are assessed on these and labelled sometimes for life if they don't meet some of these societal norms ( of course there are many other criteria and ALL are taken into consideration), but these are VERY important too. 

What we don't see then is that if kids respond to these social niceties because they are told to or forced to, they might just do it for the sake of doing it and for satisfying someone's ego, but not really feeling sorry or grateful or wanting to acknowledge the other, with those deep, honest feelings that arise from their innermost core. So would we want them to say something that they don't fully feel? Would we want them to share something or give something for the sake of giving and satisfying another's need, or would we want them to give because they have understood and feel the joy of giving freely, without any hope of return? 

I feel that it is only when their feelings are honoured fully now, can they pay it forward. So, even if they do not respond to the person talking or giving them something now, they will pay it forward someday. But we expect that to happen NOW. That is the problem. We are scared that it might not happen ever. We are scared of  things becoming a habit, when we are unconsciously reinforcing another habit! :)

I wish they weren't so important. I wish each one of us would love ourselves enough so that we don't wait for another to acknowledge us and love us. I wish we would not look to another to fulfil these criteria, before we think of them as worthy to be our friends. I wish we wouldn't measure how much someone cares about us, or how disciplined he/ she is, based on his / her response to these social niceties. I wish we could each be free to be ourselves and yet be heard. I wish we could listen to each other truly, in the silence and in the pauses that are woven into each interaction. I wish I could be "me" and you could be " you" and yet find ourselves in each other. That would be so beautiful, wouldn't it? And  more than all this, we would each have an opportunity to "pay it forward" , instead of giving back to the same person who started the chain!  That could create such a huge ripple effect and set off a huge wave of kindness and compassion in our community.

So the next time we see a child, let's stop and watch him/her closely; let's be still and silent and listen to those words that they do not speak. Let's listen with our hearts, not with our minds. Let's touch them with our innermost core. Let's hold our intentions with grace and love and let go of all outcome or expectation. Let's be our true selves and let them be themselves too.

When we look at something a little differently now from the way we have been seeing it all this while, we open a new window to endless possibilities.

So come, let's open our eyes and hearts; stand together and look out with wonder and joy! Let's give with joy completely now, with a trust that that will be paid forward in some way, some day.

Loving and Understanding Paradoxes

"When you live an intentional life and make your own decisions, you come to see the paradox of your personal sovereignty. To follow blindly your own desires will create a prison of constant cravings and longing, from which you cannot escape. To refuse your desires creates another kind of prison, one in which you feel ashamed, guilty, resentful, or even psychologically dead. To engage in your desires, with the recognition that they will teach you about your limitations, your vulnerability, and your conflicts, as well as your strengths, will lead to the discovery of your own nature, of who you are." ~Polly Young-Eisendrath from Women and Desire 

"Learning to be guided but not driven by our desires requires that we learn to hold the tension between blinding following impulses & denying the well-spring of wisdom in soul desires. If we can "engage" desire, we will learn who & what we are." - Oriah Mountain Dreamer

 Life is full of paradoxes....so many things that are seemingly in conflict or in opposition or tangential, but are actually holding the space for all of us to live and let live, to give and receive love.

It is the paradox that holds us in this space.....much like a magnetic field....where there is an invisible force that holds things in place despite the opposites / paradoxes....to create the lovely patterns....and that is what makes this life of ours so beautiful, isn't it? So then, let us learn to love and understand the paradoxes of life a little more everyday.....for that I feel is the way to be, live and let live, love and be loved.

My Teachers

The things that come to my mind when I think of teachers now, are my son and all the people who I have not yet made peace with in my life....because now I understand that they are there, in the way they are present in my life, to remind me of all the things that I have not made peace with and understood and accepted fully in my own self :) I finally got that!

Let go

Let go, let go,
I don't need to know,
I just need to be,
I just need to flow,
There is nothing to know,
But to know how to let go.

Let go like the rain cloud,
That sheds every drop,
To pour its whole self out,
Onto the mountain  top.

Let go like the fall tree,
That drops leaf after leaf
To stand stripped of itself,
Now alive in a heap.

Let go like the wind,
That makes the whole world it's home,
To own nothing and all,
Even as it dances to its  doom.

Let go, let go,
I don't need to know,
I just need to be,
I just need to flow,
There is nothing to know,
But to know how to let go.

Learning happens...Shit happens!

Yes, I have been a teacher. Yes, I have been worried out of my wits about learning and jumped for joy when I thought it had happened. Yes, I made elaborate lesson plans that had to be thrown out of the window, prepared objectives that never ended or were just too hard to reach, thought of strategies that often helped me more than the kid, created teaching materials akin to works of art and evaluated others more than I did myself!

All along, I had this awry notion that children were incapable of "learning" on their own and that they needed to be "taught". Everything that I did  as a teacher and parent, stemmed from that one notion or idea. While I thought I was being child-centric,  I was actually being self-centred. Because the whole process and joy of learning started with me and rested on my ability to "teach" them skills that were necessary for life...but, whose life was it?

Did I really know each of them (my students/ kids) so well that I could decide what they needed to learn and how? 
Did I truly give them control over their environment and learning? Or did I give them pseudo-control?
Did I have the time to sit with them and understand the core of their being and what drove their spirit?
Did I care enough to just sit and be with them and their feelings as they arose from their inner depths, without attributing any of those to "issues"or "behaviours" or "emotional problems" or even just "difficulties"?
Did I deeply "know" their strengths and their passions or gloss over those, to slot them (as "skills to be learned") into convenient holes in what I called and someone (who had no clue about them as people) framed as "the curriculum"?
Did I want to kindle their love and zest for life and learning, or "help" them  and frame them for life so they could ride the waves, without knowing what it was to get wet and messy and learn how to swim?

Sadly, and even with the best of intentions, I perhaps didn't do most of  the above while I was a young teacher of kids with special needs and then a parent who relied heavily on her teaching background to bring up her child. Perhaps that's why I was burnt out and wanted to quit my job - because I wasn't following my heart; I was following my mind. Perhaps that's why I have now come to tread this path of unschooling with my son, who happens to be my greatest teacher of life and living. Is it perhaps a way for me to make peace with what once was? Is it the way it was meant to unfold and help me discover myself a little more? I don't know.

But I have come to ponder on some questions that I never bothered to ask before.
Why is there so much ado about learning?
Why do we want to simulate reality and prepare their lives or prepare them for life, instead of waiting and watching the magic unfold?
Why have we forgotten how to be children and stop and wonder about the little miracles that life uncovers for us every day, every moment?
Why do we want to "manufacture" and "produce" learning?
Why do we want to make learning a "package deal" instead of unwrapping the package like a child opening a gift, with love and joy and sweet anticipation?
Why do we fret and fume over something that seems to happen naturally, just like "shit happens"?!

Yes, that is how I have come to understand learning - the learning that happens with my son, and perhaps most kids in the world, if only we give them a free hand to choose what they want to learn, how they want to learn and for how long they want to learn. Do we give children a choice in these matters? Do we encourage them to follow the path they want to tread, even if it is not the one we as their parents are walking on? Do we trust implicitly in their ability to think and learn everything that they need and want to know?  I wish we did. For then, they would learn to fly like the birds learn to fly and swim like the fish learn to swim.....on their own, and not because someone taught them to do that.

Man is by nature a learning animal. Birds fly, fish swim; man thinks and learns.”

- John Holt from How Children Learn

Because learning just happens, like shit happens! It happens when it has to and how it has to. It is not something that can be controlled and coerced to happen or taught from the outside.  It is inherent; it is natural. Because that is how it was meant to be. That is what I have come to believe.

So, one is not bound by time and space for learning to happen. It happens in its own time, in its own space and at its own pace. It happens in the bathroom, on the road, while eating, or arguing, as one opens one's eyes to see the day, or in the wispy dreams that one dreams at night. It happens in the most unexpected places, jumping out to surprise you like a Jack-in-the-box! It happens quietly and surely, like the breath that flows in and out. It happens even when you don't see it happen - in the silent spaces that flow between doing and not doing. It happens when one is "doing nothing". It just happens, like life.

Learning happens as we live each day, unhurried and complete... when we are truly alive in this moment....just as we nourish our bodies and yet don't wait endlessly for something (like shit :)) to happen. It just happens.

So then, why do we feel this gorging need to "teach" or "do" things with kids and a nerve-wrecking worry if children will learn and how they will learn? I think it is because we have compartmentalized learning and packed it into neat, air-tight boxes, stacked in a particular order. We have as many theories and philosophies as there are people, one contradicting or critiquing the other. We have definitions and labels and norms and standards. Learning has become too complicated. We have killed its inherent innocence and simplicity. We have caged the free bird that it actually is, and then sit and wonder or worry about how and whether it will ever fly. We have dammed learning and evacuated free will and thinking. We have lost touch with ourselves and forgotten that it is in our very nature, to think and learn.

We don't need "teachers" today. We need more adults to become children, as "co-creators" and "co-learners". We need to find the child within each of us that is still alive and calling out for attention from some forgotten corner. We need to hold hands with our children and look into the gorgeous heavens with a fresh wonder and joy every single day....without that voice inside our head asking if it is a session on geography or nature study or poetry...We need to wake up everyday with love in our hearts and an unflinching trust in ourselves and our children - that we are human; that we are here alive on this planet, to learn from and with each other, in every waking moment, what we need to and want to learn....not because we have to reach for a star or be literate or pay our bills, but because we are here to discover what drives our spirit and hearts, to open the doors to a world of infinite possibilities.

"Next to the right to life itself, the most fundamental of all human rights is the right to control our own minds and thoughts. That means, the right to decide for ourselves how we will explore the world around us, think about our own and other persons' experiences, and find and make the meaning of our own lives. Whoever takes that right away from us, as the educators do, attacks the very center of our being and does us a most profound and lasting injury. He tells us, in effect, that we cannot be trusted even to think, that for all our lives we must depend on others to tell us the meaning of our world and our lives, and that any meaning we may make for ourselves, out of our own experience, has no value." ~ John Holt

There is a place

there is a place
in every heart
where You and I
can just be,
where we share
the Light
that shines in us,
where You and I
can become We;
let's find this place,
let's make room,
for each other,
to live and let live,
let's remember that
we are Love;
that there is a place,
with much to give.

Come, sit with me

Come, sit with me
around the blazing fire,
our eyes and hearts lit
with an unflinching desire;
to hold hands and cry,
look each other in the eye;
to speak with our hearts,
as we live and we die.

Come, sit with me
around the blazing fire,
hopes rekindled,
as we rediscover the other;
shattered dreams smelt
with the light lit today,
vows renewed with love,
as honesty holds sway.

Come, sit with me
around the blazing fire,
let's sing a new song
as we look to the spire,
let's share our stories
with hearts open wide,
let's meet each other
in the light of the night.

What is Inclusion?

What is it to be truly inclusive?
What is it to feel excluded?

These are questions that I started to think about lightly when I was working at Vidya Sagar - "an organisation that works with children and young adults with cerebral palsy and other neurological disabilities, their families and the communities they live in".

I say lightly now, because the word and concept of inclusion has taken on a whole new avatar for me since then. At that time, we were working on a mission statement together, where everyone shared their thoughts on what they thought inclusion was and what Vidya Sagar stood for. It was an amazing session of self-introspection of the whole community, both individually and collectively. One could not look at inclusion as a collective belief and vision, without looking at one's own self too. That is what I realised then, when we were working to create more inclusive spaces for people with special needs.

This concept of inclusion took its next beating when a very dear friend and colleague of mine came up to talk to me one day about something that had happened there. She was very hurt and in turmoil. She was angry. She felt excluded. She spewed out anger at some of the people who she felt had wronged her, while she spoke to me. I listened. I held that space for her. I felt her pain. That was all I could do then. Perhaps I had done enough. I don't know. But it was that raw, vulnerable moment that expanded my definition of inclusion. I wondered if that space was truly inclusive, as she was feeling so excluded. I understood the pain of what it feels like to be excluded, at Vidya Sagar.....from the issues that haunted us and the people we worked with, and from this outburst from my dear friend. That, I think sowed the seed for my journey towards understanding inclusion.

I started thinking about inclusion more and more deeply from then on.
I have wondered often if we could ever be truly and wholly inclusive as a community and species.

Then came my journey into homeschooling and unschooling. Once again the pain of exclusion haunted me, when people said things about my son. I felt that I was alone in this journey and that the whole world and the system was against me. I felt excluded once again. But this time, something was different. Something had given inside of me. Was it a wall I had unconsciously built around me? To protect myself from the rest of the world? I don't know. Perhaps it was.

I suddenly realised that no one was excluding me but myself! I had somehow cooked up this high-in-the-air image about us and our unique journey, that was in itself excluding....because I looked at us as being different, special and unique. Suddenly it all fell into place. I figured that it was all in my mind, not outside. That was the last straw....and the whole illusion of exclusion came crumbling down!

So then, inclusion was in the mind and in the heart. I realized that after a lot of pain and grief. I had felt excluded because that was what I was thinking inside....I thought exclusion and breathed exclusion and so it manifested in my life as that. But now, when I opened my mind and heart to infinite possibilities ....that cannot be predetermined or imagined even, but rather, accepted with faith and a surrender of one's will...I felt a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. This warmth seemed to radiate outwards and touch others too who came into our lives. Was it the law of attraction at work? Was this a feeling of inclusion? I wondered.

There have been some instances when we went to a gathering and then wondered why we had gone there, because we felt left out and excluded or fearful of treading on another's beliefs and values. There were some where we felt an expanse of space to breathe easy. I have thought a lot about both and what the difference could have been. I am still struggling to understand the dichotomy. 

Why does one feel excluded sometimes and included at other times? Am I really as inclusive as I think I am? Does inclusion mean treating another equally? Are we ever equal? Or does it mean understanding and accepting the diversity and uniqueness in each individual and blending it all to form one complete whole? Is it about preserving the individual and yet celebrating a community?

Every time I thought I was being inclusive, something happened which made me look within and realize that I was actually not being inclusive. I do like wholesome healthy food, preferably home-cooked, but that does not mean I will impose my ideas of "healthy food" on anyone else, even my husband and son. We all eat what we like and want to. We have made peace with our food. Yet, I find it hard to cook a meal when my sister and family come down to stay with us as they like their meals bland and with no salt. I find it limiting when my in-laws come as they eat no onion and masala and eat only South Indian food. So how can I be inclusive with food, given my limitations? It would mean that I have to stretch myself and do more than I can physically. Am I ready to do that? Am I happy to do that? Sometimes I am not.

Recently, I invited a friend over to come and stay with us. I was really looking forward to her coming. But when I thought about it, I realized that they loved their meat, and I could not tolerate the smell and sight of it in my house. I felt bad to tell her my problem, but did so anyway. She understood and agreed to go out and eat if needed. But I still hurt inside as I felt I was not being as inclusive as I wanted to.

What I realize and feel now is that we all have an inherent need to be inclusive as that is the nature of the true self. That is the divine in all of us - the need to embrace everything with equanimity and love. This whole life is a labour of that love and a journey to fulfill that need. 

I feel that it is this very nature that finds expression as guilt, hurt, ignorance and anger, that leads to exclusion. Our beliefs, values, and conditioning that we hold on to so dearly, are what colour and decide our every move in life, and act as barriers to this natural state, that is waiting and trying so hard to express itself and be inclusive. So then, is inclusion a spiritual process, if it is so wired to our beliefs, values and attitudes that shape and define us? I do feel it is. 

And now I do feel that inclusion is not a state, but a process, much like the spiritual process.....it is a path to self-awakening and self-awareness, and perhaps only when we let go of all these little beliefs and identities that we hold on to, can we truly be inclusive. 

The unschooling path I feel gives us an opportunity to be so....because we are constantly questioning these beliefs that make up our core; we are constantly in touch with our true selves, and trying hard to be aware of what we see, think, hear, feel and do.

So can we hold hands and laugh, cry, argue,sing, and scream with and at one another, without destroying each other in the process? 

Can we celebrate diversity if we pretend to bring in the harvest before we have toiled and tilled the ground together? 

Can we support and endure each others' weaknesses by learning ways to forgive and rediscover a shared purpose?  

Are we willing to learn to get along, while recognizing our differences, our needs, our unique paths and our gifts? 

Can we shed the burden of our identities that we all carry and hold on to?
Can we then learn to be a little more inclusive and heal ourselves and our community?

I think we can if we commit ourselves to looking within.

Procession

I walked along
with an empty bowl,
gathering all
that I could hold;
a smile, a hug,
a frown, a tear,
a hungry heart
that yearned for more;
some people watched,
looked up and bowed,
some turned away
with anger, or love untold;
I wondered why
they came and left,
I wondered why
I felt bereft,
and then I found that
while I looked for them,
they were watching the soul
in the procession!

Drumbeats

Drumbeats a-roll;
a distant call,
a gentle reminder
to wake up to love;
drumbeats on me
carry a heart with love,
a trust, a belief
grows louder now;
drumbeats inside
move the spirit in hiding,
into the groove,
without even trying;
drumbeats along
as we walk side by side,
holding each other,
in tune with our lives.

Broken Wings

I rest my broken wings
on your steadfast chest,
you sing me a song
to quell the unrest;
my heart weeps quietly
as thoughts run wild,
you hold me close,
you sing, and I cry;
I've waited long
for you to sing your song,
a heart full of love,
while I'm lost and forlorn;
Ah! what irony
that you sing that song now,
when my mind is a-wander
and I'm woebegone!
But I will give anything
to hear your heart sing,
and so I dam the river,
and rest my broken wings.

The Shower

I hate the shower.
Too much water.
Fears. Pinpricks.
No control. I hold on.
To breath. To desire.
A love of life?
A fear of death?
What is it?
That makes me tick?
In that moment
of silent surrender,
a letting go unfolds
the self on hire.
I like the shower.
The steady water.
I breathe free
as it washes off
my fears and desires.

The Florist

I watched him pick
a bunch of flowers,
orchids and roses,
with hands of love.

I watched him smile
as he created his art,
touching each with joy,
as he picked each part.

Petals and thorns
pruned and shaved,
gathering joy,
a gift of love, he made.

What is it, I wonder,
in a bunch of flowers,
that brings a smile
to every heart?

Like dust from a new broom

thoughts and emotions
keep coming back
to haunt me -
like the dust
that settles
again and again,
from a new broom -
as you sweep it away,
more falls out
to rest on the space
that was once
cleared out.

I am there

Watch me
in the leaves
as they begin
their silent dance.

Hear me
in the sacred sound
that flows from
the striking gong.

Feel me
in the hairs on end
as they stand
as if in a trance.

Smell me
in the roses
as they reach to touch
your longing heart.

Watch.
Hear.
Feel.
Smell.

I am there.
Even when I'm not there.

Flow

Flow like the brook
as you gently tread
an unknown land;
don't use your head!
listen to your heart,
the gurgles, the whispers,
for fears can tear you
like Jack the Ripper.

Flow like the pond
that seems so still,
but infuses the soil
around with its will;
listen to your breath
as it softly stirs,
the will to surrender,
and be right here.

Flow like the waterfall
that takes a leap of faith,
into the dark chasm
it gushes to swathe;
listen to your gut,
the rumbles, the roars,
as you burst forth
to blaze your trail; encore!

Just be.
Just flow.
There is no place
where you ought to go.
But there is a place
you can be now,
as you let go and learn
to go with the flow.

I'll meet you there

I'll meet you there
where the earth and sky
empty themselves
into the misty grey void;
where thoughts rest awhile,
and dreams don't fly,
walls cast their form,
and tides don't rise;
I'll meet you there
where the sun and moon
hold hands and stand
to rejoice at noon.

As you walk through the door...

as you walk through the door...
let me make room,
welcome you home,
listen with my core;
as you walk through the door...
let me let the light in,
to see you shine,
setting shadows aglow!

The Search

I looked everywhere
for that missing piece,
to feel whole,
to feel at ease;
I looked without,
but gave up soon,
when I realised
it must lie within;
and so I groped,
dug deep in the dark,
gathered all the Light,
to light my torch;
I found little gems,
glistening bright,
I found secrets rolled
in boxes tight,
but I still couldn't find
that missing piece,
to feel whole,
to feel at ease;
I sat in silence
to just be,
stopped my search
to look at me,
and then I saw
that all the while,
I was holding
what was missing inside,
the Light that lit
my way inside,
was what I was looking for
all the while;
there is no place
to go or find,
I'm whole, I'm alive!
in this moment in time!

Wheel

there is a place
in every wheel
that does not move,
that does not turn,
or get caught
in the web
of space and time;
there is a place
which is the source,
which is the end,
of everything
that rises, and
falls back to,
in the journey
of this mind.