devotion

a lasting marriage
when devotion has claimed you for its own
no longer any  chance to stray
a brief fling with illusion no longer satisfies
the truth demands utter fidelity
with no possibility of divorce

all pain must be faced
and embraced as the true countenance of
  your beloved

all fear must be met
and recognized as the thrill of tasting
  the unknowable

all joy must be surrendered
and acknowledged as a gift with
  no giver

this union only requires telling the truth
even when the truth shatters your dreams
even when the truth leaves you emptied out
even when the truth reveals your counterfeit
existence
then there is no other possibility
  than happily after





Nirmala
Gifts With No Giver
Photo:  Peter Bowers

home

welcome home

welcome to the home never left

you have always lived here

will always live here

        this is home, forever...

so stop now

no effort is required

even during all journeys

you have always been here

        this is home, forever...

so relax now

the fire is in the hearth

this inner fire is keeping you warm

the storms outside cannot touch you 

        this is home, forever...

so rest now

everyone loved is right here

we have always lived here

will always live here

        this is home, forever...

Nirmala

Gifts with No Giver

a love affair with truth

...for this pure delight

the flower can only wait

for the bee to arrive

yet passion appears from nowhere

to play hide and seek with peace

all that is gained is lost once again

timeless dreams are swallowed 

in the yawn of an awakened sleeper

yet spring arises like a phoenix

from the ashes of winter

all that is lost was never real

is the heart big enough

for the source of weeping

is the heart big enough

for this pure delight

Nirmala

Photo:  Peter Bowers

no poem

no poem

no song

no ritual

captures the simple beingness of a stone 

let alone a mountain of stone

but let the stone write the poem 

let the mountain sing in your heart

let the rituals fall like gentle rain to nourish the gods

 inside every stone 

and every mountain

let your soul rise above the mountain 

above the rain

above the clouds

the journey home requires no effort

only willingness to release your claw like grip

on the familiar ground 

then the stone speaks unspeakable truth

then the mountain fills your heart with a silent song

of peace

and rituals sprout wings of surrender in your soul

and you arrive

here

nirmala

unexpected silence

the troubled philosopher

finds nothing to believe in

and in unexpected silence

just smiles

at the still unanswered questions

nirmala

where we have never parted

take my hand 

feel the vital grip

that love lends to this flesh

listen to my voice

hear the catch in my throat

of awe that can't be expressed

gaze into my eyes

see tears welling up

as I recognize my long lost self in your smile

rest in my arms

find refuge in my embrace

until you know you are forever safe

join me now

here

where we have never parted

Nirmala