Poetry

Sierra Crest

The mountain top reaches longingly for the sky
While the sky dreams of becoming the earth.

…..Sometimes they kiss

That’s why I go there.

Desert Journey

I come to the desert
To be reborn.
Entering the dreamtime,
I molt the layers
Of a civilized life.
Heat,
Red rock,
Deafening silence,
Big sky,
From horizon to horizon,
They are my midwives.
I come here
To shed my skin
And be simple again.
As I slip out of the clutches
Of cynicism and fatigue,
I see again with the clear eyes
Of an old Indian.

Life is vibrant
Life is magical.
Life is the elusive snake.

Essence of Sandalwood

As I contemplate
What I am about to write,
I stop to notice the curling
Of the incense
Just lit.
In its every movement,
There is grace,
As if touched
By a whispered breeze
From most gentle
And elegant lips.
These caresses
Leave elastic reflections
And supple images,
In arching tumbles,
Plaintiff stretches,
And humble bends.
Divine Yoga!
Unleashed.
Whose formulas,
Freed from regimen,
Cannot be known.
And in the lapse
Of an inquiring moment,
The beauty is already done.

Before the Altar

I come to make an offering
To you,
Almighty One.
I am the incense
On the altar of your love.
Show me,
How I may be transfigured.
I offer myself
To the great flame of your love.
Let your heartfire
Leap to me
And catch me alight.

I am burning now.
My body is your incense.
I release the fragrance
That has been hidden inside,
And the smoke of my prayer
Spirals to heaven in thanksgiving.
My ashes drop to the table
And I await,
In emptiness,
For the breeze that will sweep me away
Into the service of your will.

Thank you, Great One,
For leaving nothing behind.
In my selflessness,
I wish only to leave
The memory of a fragrance.

Bodhisattva’s View

Beyond the whimpering cry
Beyond the wounded soul
Through the cave of darkness
Where all seekers fear must go

Beyond the hollow shell
Beyond the echoed screams
Our pretenses they shall crumble
As we discover our very means

There is a true man and woman waiting
Not the ones who brought us tears
They are dressed in resplendent colors
Like the sunset after a storm has cleared

Find the wings of eagles
Fly and join them there
With the fish prize clasped in your talons
Let your freedom song fill the air

Eat the flesh that makes you human
Follow the urge that makes you fly
Know that your ultimate communion
Is also something that makes you cry

Tiger’s Poetry