Wakeful Throne~

sending you positive love and bliss

never miss the spirit kiss

through the mist comes fresh and crisp

flowing round the toes and tips

inner-wish to know...

kings and beggars both bow low

pressing head to earth

the chanted om...

the chanted om...

the wakeful throne...

we're always home.

~Hawthorne Valley Farm, 2009

Da Vine~

I drain the cup

giving up

all my stress and my strain

standing at the door step

I kneel down and pray

saying, 'please free me'

saying, 'teach me of your grace'

bubbling through my body

and coursing through my veins

now the gate opens up

and my cup overflows

I see the majesty

I see the universe unfold

before my eyes

open wide

I breathe a sigh

my heart is shining bright

I press my palms up to the sky

Gratitude! Gratitude!

sacred food that feeds the soul

Grandmother makes me humble

shows me how to be whole

whole body

whole spirit

whole vision

whole mind

find my inspiration

through the mystical vine

so now I touch down

to the ground of living light

geometric fractalation

energetic inner-sight

and I see that all is love

with a heart that's purified

Ayahuasca on high

I praise you divine!

~Amazon, 2008

Shared Sacred Om~

I feel you as partner-
I feel you as support-
Serene and full, the stream we course.
You seek to flow and match my pace-
Yet graceful-
Wind in your own way.

And at times I watch you dancing from afar-
And sometimes I breathe your breath, so close am I.

You support my truth, and I feel love and seek to bloom fully in it.
You support my potential yet far off-
And in your silent words you challenge me to seek me-
For this I love you.

In our shared silence, I come to know the question of love.
‘We meet to part, And part to meet,’ it is said.
The heart understands this-
And moments grow sweet in their transience.
To feel breath against flesh-
And know this too will end.
 

O, teacher and friend-
Watching your path makes me happy-
And brings me deeper into my own.
This is kalyana mitta-
The shared-sacred Om.

~Hampshire College, 2007

Here-And-Now Free~

The Revolution will not be televised.  Indeed, the Revolution is Self-Realized.  From the seed of each Divine Being the road is vitalized; it leads the One Human Tribe to higher kinds of open eyes.

Yeah, the so-called revolution is loud about changing frames of praise and blame, loss and gain, pleasure and pain...still maintaining the game, all the same.  True solutions arise from eyes blown wide seeking sublime enterprise.  The New-Old Vision, coming pure with its mission, see?  Original sin?  More like original synergy.

Samma, samma, Samadhi: High Getting, High Letting Be.  Root word, root cause; first seed, first love.  'All one, all one', reads the soap on the sink.  What do you think?

The True Revolution is a return to what's missing, and what's been there all along.  Seek the one, seek the first cause, seek truth that has no flaws.  You won't find it commercialized and sold on the streets, cause it has no 'it', no 'at', and no 'be'.  It's beyond the beyond as the wizened ones say- on the tips of the lips of the children at play.  Samma, samma, Samadhi: High Getting, High Letting Be.

Be your Revolution, be your own cause.  Tap deeply into the true cosmic laws.  Align your Self with the highest of goods.  Rarefy into the welcoming woods.  Should you find yourself strung out, hopped up on doubt, tripped round about by ego's shout, just plant your feet and root them deep, sow seeds of dreams that flower free.  Breathe at need, reduce your speed, coalesce the many streams; the Self-Resplendent solar beams that pave the way to Infinity.

A thought occurs...if we each always exist within Unity, being none other than Unity, heading ever towards Unity, then surely we are Here-And-Now Free.

Here-And-Now Free...

What then does True Revolution mean?  Keenly seen, it is waking, as if from dream.  Waking to the meaning of Freedom, found intrinsic in even the most fleeting of beings.  This is the reality beyond duality; yours to see, if you make the journey.  Good luck my friend.

~Hampshire College, 2007

EndDays~

In End of Days
When Waves did raise
And Sky Fell Down
And split were ways
Of days long gone
 

Among the stone and rubble won
 

The Pyrrhic Victory
Bitterly fought
Disgusting dregs
We drained the cup
And in so doing
Drained our own
The desecration of our home
 

A human’s span
No more did pass
Lifetimes of Luxury
Brought to ash

The Oceans died
The jungles burned
The deserts spread
Our farmlands spurned
 

An Earth unhinged
Through gritty sin
Our treasures scattered
By the wind
And yet indeed what did we win?
 

So Here and Now we must remain
We must reclaim our name thus shamed
We must forgive what we would not
We need to know what we have wrought
Our Godhead we will find again
But first we must rise up and walk
 

Rise up and walk, rise up and walk
But first we must accept our lot
 

And in this time
The steady gait
Is tread by loving throughout hate
By serving all that share the fate
And knowing this as Krsna’s play
 

The Yogas of Old
Bold affirmations of self-salvation
The great and resounding ‘Yes!’
Blessing the singular nation
Our common past is our common future
May we pass this test.

~Hampshire College, 2007

Elder~

Elder tells well the stories of glory

The tales that dwell in the halls of heroes

And those that bewail the others that fell

Of earth, and heaven, and hell

Elder tells

Elder guards forgotten spells

Those sacred shards that swell wealthy with spiritual health

Elder knows well the time arrives

When ever shard will do its part to turn the tide

Elder's sight guides

Elder lives life lovingly

Seeing the precious fragility of each being

Elder looks deep on those known as 'heroes' and 'foes'

And sees only 'We'

Steeped in this peaceful release

This knowledge of 'We'

Elder sits content and breathes under trees

Does Elder freeze or burn as seasons turn?

Elder knows better than to bet on the weather

Elder sits and waits for the time and place

When the world shouts loud

With heart in mouth

Calling for one that can guide us

Out of insanity

Back to humanity

We are free...here and now

But...people forget

And truth becomes clouded

Shrouded in veils of dogma

Surrounded by superstitions unfounded

And beings cry out...shattered, confounded

And it is in this moment that Elder appears

From untold years come the warrior-seers

And reverential cheers are felt through the ether

And people rise up as their ears hear the preacher

'Teach us of beauty' we desperately cry

So Elder teachers our leaders of wiser design

And fear of fear is cast aside

And in so doing

We exhume a cask buried and brooding

Where pride did hide

Waiting in hate

Baiting our hunger and bending our strength

Greedily breeding deep ignorance in our time of need

And now indeed Elder stands up and uprights the cosmic decree:

'Love All Beings and Set Yourself Free!'

Simple as can be...

So now is the time for heart-felt deeds

The time for preparing fields and planting seeds

The time to regrow human community

Unfolding with all that be

See, to the keen eye that wields wisdom

None is a weed in this fine garden
Of peace and ease

Each fills a need

It's 'Altruistic Reciprocity'

And this Elder perceives

And weaves visions and dreams

With skillful means

With grounded feet and steady knees

She walks the path to infinity

Calling us forth to recall
Here and Now: We are free

We are free

We have never been ever other than free

So, to all you Elders

I say 'Great Gratitude

and Thanks Be!'


~Sirius Community, 2006

Failing and Falling~

Failing and falling

My humanness calling

Doubt and despair and fear unaware

Assaulted unknown, the bending of bones

The frailty of flesh

So raw and alone

Groaning under the strain of pain

I bow my head in shame

Seeking You I am run through

Hewn in two

Undone and subdued

Left black and blue

And spiritually sore

Another casualty of the inner war

Yet still I thirst for more

And still I continue on

For this is the path up and through,

Transmuting fear, find freedom.

The peaceful warrior's song.

~Vipassana Retreat (written in my head), 2005

Love's Lust~

The ear strains to hear beloved's voice, hushed and heavy overtones underlie every aspect of this phrase: 'choice... I praise, life... I praise, higher raise this living, pulsing, breathing, lover's craze.'

It peels back the skin- it gnaws raw the gut- it burns black the blood- so deep is it's touch. It's passion inflames- trains the brain straight insane- straight pounding it's rain- down the drain, down the drain...

As sand runs through the hands of the one too eager to grasp all that he can, so too does love flee demand. You say, 'be this, in this way. Appease me and I may...just love you back...I just may...'

So that's the story? Exchange of currency- a done deal signed with fret and worry? Love is freeing, lust binds down. This subtle difference shakes the ground. Deep-anchored-weight, metallic ballast...wrapped tight with malice...and hate.

Lust skews the straight and bends the strong. Love composes prose and offers songs, singing with no thought of return. Repayment un-needed when love truly yearns- when one truly lives and heart truly learns and soul truly gives and each takes its turn...willingly...filling me...spilling free with sympathy and
deep
purple
blood.

~India, 2006

Sadu on the Sidewalk~

old, aging, ancient-

the sadu on the sidewalk trains patient-

the vedic equation maintains pain-

as latent statements of ego placement-

always jumping-

tree, tree; branch, branch; vine, vine-

I, I; me, me; mine, mine-

this the mind monkey made-

untamed and untrained and going grey with old age-

Shiva! he shouts under his breath-

in a whisper that only I can hear-

literally-

this beggar in raggedy robes-

blessing the droves of drop dead souls-

a silent hero-

the city lights-

the worldly sights-

he passes by-

he steps aside-

no pride to hide-

for all the world to see-

that yogi; that sadu; that baba; that sage-

I and I praise that truth seeker-

go deeper, go deeper-

don't hesitate-

fly higher, burn brighter-

this our shared sacred fate!-

as I sit on the sidewalk and slowly go sane-

made sane by way of knowledge-

knowledge of the soul-

soul the stage-

stage the place-

which plays the living show-

so on the street are people walking and smoking and shopping-

cows grazing trash-

cars honking-

I try open-eyed to gaze unmoving-

so much variety flying by-

dogs, cows, bums, rickshaws and slackjaws-

all bumping and grooving-

they flow in-

they mingle and mix-

they pass out of sight in their own time-

some slowly, some quick-

some healthy, some sick-

but always moving, ever moving-

this is the trick!-

this is the game-

all thoughts the same-

all feelings the same-

in that they continue on-

varied in expression-

still they sing the same song-

impermanent-

unsatisfying-

not self-

the problem is that we make mistakes-

and take those dogs and cows and passing people as equal-

equal to I, me, mine-

we forget that we are the sadu on the street-

smiling through rotting teeth-

serenely watching the scene-

'This Show is Dream!' he says-

'a gentle mental stream of word-thought and sun-beam'-

the sadu knows this and suffers no pain-

it is we that choose to stay in the deep drama rain-

complaining insane thinking we're on the stage-

thinking actor and witness are one in the same-

Hey Man...

they are one-

we are the same-

but you can't think this-

it's intrinsic-

non-dualistic-

the sadu gets high on this-

from his eyes stream bliss-

cause the dream is seen for what it is-

in breath-

out breath-

come to rest-

feel fresh-

abide residing deep in the chest-

the heart beat pressed against the breast-

and the man wrapped in robes is the first to attest to the true gain-

release from the cycle-

release from pain-

release from endless wandering in vain-

as I sit on the sidewalk and slowly go sane...

~India, 2006

One Human Tribe~

Pale blue rays, blazed across clouds,

Moon-made trails, the sky sighs aloud,

Tracing star designs of every kind.

Shine, you watery goddess.

Shine, you resplendent, heaven-sent, full-on flawless goddess.

I feel your weight, 

Your pressing pregnant shape,

The long-distance abyss,

Traveled sooner for lunar kiss.

Sedate your solar mate with those pale rays,

Inducing change in my cellular shape.

Cultivate in me

Strong-stretching-sonic-spree,

Like the pious Peepal tree,

As it reaches down and up simultaneously.

Oh thee I ask, Look down as you pass overhead.

I beseech you to teach me to purify dread

And pacify the intense spread of darkness

That comes so quick.

Push back those thick, shrouding clouds

Clouding the sounds celestial,

Coming down, broadcasting orchestral.

Pierce through those worn-thin wisps

of nimbus strips,

The moon-sky-tie-dye revealing this.

Reveling in the lunar kiss

I tilt back my head,

Better ready to receive

The hope-bestowing water-shed.

Pour down on me.

Anoint me.

Soak and suffuse me.

I need peace and ease and soul release.

Please, please

Bid me ease.

Let me rest

Caressed by thee.

I fall back exhaling

My frustrated failings,

Giving up my motives

To the higher-sky training.

It is all I can do,

Thoroughly, thoroughly wrapped up in you,

You who shoots truth in full-bloom

Through the overcast gloom

I'm consumed by you,

By your waxing and waning,

By your birth and decaying.

You travel the sky sustaining,

Tracing shapes below,

Painting mojo-flows with your colorful raining.

Fill us all with your liquid color,

We, the sisters and brothers.

Smother and drench us in snesuous flooding.

It comes down in torrents from mother so loving.

For, in this planetary family,

We, the terrestrial progeny,

Give thanks,

and dance trance under the Peepal Tree

The One Human Tribe,

We will always be!


~India, 2006

Like Wind Through Bamboo~

Held in the silence of words- like wind through bamboo

The drum-skin taut with anticipation- notes sung true

They penetrate bone only when this mouth is closed

Can I understand my place without syllables and street signs?

Can I go beyond rigid syntax and diction?

God is not to be found in verbs and nouns

But in the spaces between sounds.

Yes! The spaces between the sounds.

The bardo- between the beats

Where thoughts break down and God is seen

Hold in your mind the greatest, largest,

Most powerful thing you can imagine

Now multiply that by the highest number you can imagine

And you begin to approach true stillness

Like wind through bamboo and truth held in the silence of words

We all wait for ourselves out beyond the reach

Of clumsy and cumbersome ego speech

So forge the wisdom-sword and cut through this tangle-reason-strangle

Set free this single one to join the uncountable All

That vibrates throughout...raw...so raw...

Primordial awe...

OM...the one sound free-found

Om resounds bound down deep underground

Deep in my eyes and ears and heart-pound

Pounding, unsounding

Setting free, sending me

To the All...the silent All

The full-filled, bursting, overstuffed, quiet All

May I surrender to you

Melt into you

Be ripped apart and killed by you

May this fleeting soul be blown by you

Like wind...ever flowing...

Through bamboo.

~India, 2006

EarthWords~

Morning dew meets rising sun

Light splatters like star-matter shot from a gun

BANG- the colors burst forth

They mingle and shine

Dissolving, evolving with rhythm and rhyme

Constellations of jewels, and precious-cut stones

They sparkle sublime, they shine from below

Their luminous nature mimics our own

The current that courses from skin through to bone

Electric spectrum from root to crown

Refracted fractal patterns of chakra channels

And foot-soul touch-down

Flesh meets clay, as daylight gives birth

To the myriad wonders that spawn from the earth

And dawn responds with natural mirth

And we catch the exchange, the wondrous play

Saluting the sun we chant praise and pray

We seek to obey, for to do so is love

Is to reach up and grab what comes down from above

The eternal hug of brahma’s embrace

The practice of looking each man/one in the face

And seeing his/her eyes, and what’s held beneath

Those lipid reflections inspecting so deep

God seeks to bequeath the lotus leaf wreath

To all of us, teaching devotion technique

Devotion to earth, and water, and air

And fire, and all that result when they share

The thick, red rays of afternoon haze

The mix of sun and dirt in which we ritually bathe

This is the way, the age-old dance

Of human, and soil, and spirit, and plants

Bent and burnt backs, naked and graceful

Move slow through the groves of papaya and mango

Bap, bap, d’bap bap

The sacred rhythm that sets the tone in like that.

I said uh’bap, bap, d’bap bap

Steady the hand, tough and tan, of humble farmer cat

So day wanes at eve’s approach

The dust entrusts the holy ghost

The earthly host on which we roam

Who in the end will take us home

And swallow us into her maw

The origin that birthed us all

And truth of death and fleeting chance

Makes morning dew the true romance

~India, 2006