My prayers

Oh how I longed
How I yearned
For that handsome prince
To end up in my life forever
You turned your face away.

Soon that mask was gone
And I realized
Your naïve daughter
Was about to embrace snake
That’s why you ignored.

How I yearned for money
For riches, gems and glitters
Sometimes you gave
Mostly you ignored
How I sometimes was mad at you.

Then with wisdom came sense
I begged you for peace, love for all
Soon my heart filled up and swelled
I asked for a drop
And you filled up my being.

Sharmishtha basu
1.8.10
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I pray 18.09.10
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I pray I insist
You refuse
I beg I persist
my prayers
go unanswered
all I receive
is your silence

Fury boils within
sometimes I hate you
then one day I realize
you were, are and will
always be right.

Sharmishtha basu
18.09.10

Greed, desire and yearning

Greed, desire and yearning
one is never ending
one knows its limit
the third realizes it late.

Greed is never satisfied
Its an endless pit
No matter how much you fill it
It is always hungry for more.

Desire knows when to stop
When to stop chasing
The mirage called greed
And be content and blessed.

Yearning yearns but learns
Often after stumbling
But it does quits thereafter
Chasing the ever eluding mirage.

Island of peace

My soul is an island
Island of peace
Resting in the ocean
Ocean of life.

Sometimes the waves sing
Sometimes they rock me
Sometimes they are sleeping
Sometimes too turbulent.

They come in plethora of forms
To touch this tiny island
To rock, to shake and to crush
Sooner or later they return back.

My island knows it
So it sees and acts
Just as the ocean wants it to
And then resumes its peace.

Sleepy river

A sleepy river lying
Calmly in the lap
Of green mountains
Majestic and charming.

Logs and rocks scattered
All across her body
As she lays supine
Staring at the sky above.

Two small birds are singing
Softly in a haunting tone
One from each bank
Calling out to the other.

Are they singing a love song?
Or are they singing for river
Asking her to break free
And dance down the mountains?

Shell and pearl

A restless soul
Which left the earth
With insatiate desires
Stumbled upon the body
Of a meditating sage
Who has left for heaven
Immersed in meditation
The shell stayed on earth.

The soul captured the body
Happy as a king
Thought that he will get
All the honour of the sage
The disciples came to see
Their teacher, mentor
They gathered around him.
To hear him, adore him.

Were shocked to see
The vulgar transformation.
They scattered away soon
Mumbling among themselves
Is it really him
Or some ghost has stolen
His body in stealth
His soul is not within.

The spirit forgot in haste
Body is only shell
Its our actions that decide
Shall we be adored
Or be abhorred
He stole the shell
And thought he had
The hidden pearl.

The sage

Morning sun was still asleep
beyond the eastern horizon
he dragged his tired body
and reached the sage’s feets.

He has heard it far and wide
this sage had a magic touch
he can heal every pain
make every sorrow disappear.

He has lost every thing
every thing that mattered to him
someone showed him the path to him
when he was about to end it all.

The sage sat with an aura of peace
his eyes were firmly closed
he waited for hours for him to look
day turned into night and day again.

Days turned into weeks
the sage did not opened his eyes
and he did not ventured away
he sat there at his feet patiently.

He watched with sheer joy
how wild birds and animals
came and shared the fruits
left by the villagers for the sage.

They treated him with blind trust
playing around him like babies.
he noted the aura of happiness and peace
on the face of the penniless sage.

He walked away a transformed man
he did not needed the sage to confirm
peace lies within our own souls
no one can show us its way.

And when we have found that treasure
losing every thing else wont count
for we know we have the greatest wealth
stored within our very own soul.

The challenge

Once there was a simple soul,

 living in his own pure world

Living a life which taught

the ways of God and virtue

Loving every soul which came

his way, not hating even

those who did him wrong,

leaving the  justice on the divine.

 

A strange twist of fate brought

him face to face with devil

Who asked for his soul

and promised heaven in return.

He told him in cold pride

that heaven can be won

only by following the path

of  truth and shunning evil.

 

The devil looked at him

with eyes full of fury and scorn

and said I offered you a deal

of life time, and you refused

I will leave no stones

unturned to make you mourn

for this offer, you will beg

on your knees for the same, broken.

 

For years he was tormented by devil,

his followers and tempters,

They tried to extinguish

every candle that he lighted

They used every trick to scare him,

to lure him, to fool him

to the path of their master,

but all their tricks failed.

 

The man noted with humble delight

every time he took

the wrong path an invisible hand

beckoned him back,

whenever the night was too dark

he saw a shining star

whenever the dark clouds gathered

he found a loving shelter.

 

Then one day in the golden twillight

 of his last glory days

He hugged his children and told them

when you are surrounded

by evil count your blessings,

stay in the path of God, don’t go stray,

because when the end will come, 

as per your deeds will you pay.

The robe

Who dons the robe of God these days?
tormented souls or fortune hunters?
or both of them stay side by side
like butchers keep their animals?

One seeking peace and sweet words
ready to give any thing for them
the other seeking that “any thing”
whatever it is suits them fine.

For a third person its very confusing
one who truly seeks God in robe
to distinguish between these two
for they often reflect each other.

This is why the sages have said I guess
To seek one’s salvation within oneself
No need to wear robe or become a monk
search God within you not in outer world.

Who am i?

Who am I? just a child of God like you
Your very own, I too worship the same God
Only in some other form, and just like you
I too pray for food, shelter and clothe for all.

What do I love? In this beautiful world?
Let me think, the smile on a baby’s face
Flowers, gardens, sky, clouds and butterflies
Music, love, friends, any thing with beauty.

My religion? To love every harmless soul
Feel compassion for every living being
Never play God even when I am wronged
Never to hit back unless pushed in corner.

What do I hope? A permanent place in your heart
An entire life of friendship with you
We will fly together forever, in the blue skies

Full of love, peace and harmony everlasting

lotus of light

A lotus of light is slowly opening its petals
A divine fragrance is enveloping my being
as if my whole existence is slowly changing
transforming itself and waiting for your touch.

Don’t make me wait any longer my dearest
just come down place your feet more beautiful
than this lotus waiting for you eagerly
touch this mortal flower and make it divine.

Day after day I have felt it unrevealing itself
right inside my soul I cherished that feeling
thinking that it was your loving touch
cleaning up, brushing up my mortal soul.

Then one day I closed my eyes and felt the change
as if a lotus of white light is enveloping my soul
and slowly unrevealing its beauty so pure, divine
preparing itself to lay itself down for your touch.

Stay

dark shadows extended their hands
she realized that she was in a land
where she was alone, on her very own
all her friends, relations were gone.

They have disappeared like dreams after
a night, without any traces of their
presence last night, just like night flower
which with touch of harsh sunshine wither.

She called out the name of each and every soul
she knew, called out loud till her voice grew feeble
In the roar of the deep shadow about to come down
upon, like a bird of prey spreading its deadly talon.

Suddenly a pure white light came down upon her,
like a warm blanket of sunshine it surrounded her,
the talons about to strike shrunk back with fear
shrunk like darkness does when morning sun is here.

It gently lifted her, nursed her, nurtured her
Guided her through the terrain of dark fear
Walking beside, showing the way, leading her.
Soon the end of the darkness was seen coming near

She saw her friends and relations waiting for her,
in the land of light and sunshine, happiness and cheer.
She gently turned her face to see her noble guiding star.
She saw her angel shining gently standing beside her.

Her creator, her eternal mother it was, who came there
In the pit of darkness to guide,protect her very own.
When no one else dared to venture that region of fear,
she had to come down there because she was her very own.

As she looked at her with loving eyes, she turned to say,
now you can leave me your near ones are waiting there,
you have suffered enough my child now go there and play.
She clutched Her hand and said, “I want YOU to stay”.

Love and hate

Why do we hate when we can love
why does hatred often wins the war?
when we look at others why do we forget
its just fine to have nothing in common
with other fellow human beings or
its alright to be weak, feeble or at fault?
These don’t create a reason to hate!

So many times we let hatred
win over love, compassion,
when we might have won
we defeat ourselves.
We forget Jesus prayed
to his father to forgive those
who hated him, tortured him
in return of his love, affection.

We, his children fail to love those
who have not caused us any wound.
We forget that loving and forgiving
is normal.. hating is not right or fair.
We act against the human nature,
and betray the love of the creator.
We forget that at the end it will be
ashes to ashes and ground to ground.

So in this short stay in this earthly abode
before leaving for heaven, we should live!
We ignore and forget to light
the lamp of love and keep it burning.

Light that will remind others of our
love and affection when we are gone.
We forget that it needs fire of love
not darkness of hatred to keep earth turning.

Every time we give in to hatred,
to contempt, to anger
without provocation,
without being harmed by any one
we walk a step away from
God the nurturer and move a step
toward the destroyer the evil one.

We cant change the entire world
or go on preaching every one,
but we can look inside our souls
and try to destroy hatred.

Try to love as long as we can
trust until we are betrayed,
Turn our back to the darkness
take a step toward the sun.

touch me

touch me with your wand of glorious, loving light,
and turn all the darkness nested inside my soul in light,
show me, hold me, guide me through the path to your light
the path which will soon end in your loving embrace, tight..

please break all the chains choking my soul
Chains of anger, desire, hunger, lust and greed
Chains stopping the free flow of your love’s breath,
cleanse the burdens, the stones of hatred, malice, mistrust
let the river of life, love, purity flow forever and ever, freed.

make my soul the ground for your love’s seed
help me to nurture it into a lovely tree
offering calm shade, laden with flowers
and fruits ripe and sweet, to share with all
whoever seeks it from heart, to deprive none