flock – THIS HAPPENED

she feels it first & deepest. it is undeniable: the call.
it reaches deep down inside & wraps around her heart pulling her
insistently to her feet, impelling forward, onward, upward!
her wings spread wide, she leaps into the air & the call lifts her up.
the call blends with the wind & she is airborne, soaring in the sky.
a great etheric trail follows in her wake, a sign for action.
it is the vitalizing scent of the call, invoking the flock.

the other members of the flock are mesmerized & magnetized,
enchanted by the alluring trail that invites them to follow.
as one, they beat their wings in a low thrumming thunder, lifting up
into the welcoming surges of wind in the high clear sky: what
a rush it is! what a perfect activity: balancing on
the currents of magnetic energy pulsating from the heart
of the earth to her winged children calling out gladly in flight.

moving in supportive harmony together, the living cloud
of birds dances in tandem with the magnetic heart of the earth,
shaping messages of encouragement on the dome of the sky.

the lead bird now melds into the greater flock in the natural
flow of the long group flight that the planet has set into motion.
a new lead bird moves seamlessly in place to guide the flock's journey.
they follow the call of the living earth to their new food & shelter.

i hear the call too. it sounds like OM & it feels like love, & it
comes from You, Shiva, plunging deeply within, irresistible.
my heart flies with the flock, held safe in the arms of heaven & earth,
each wingbeat a prayer, every utterance a sacred mantra.

the lead bird in the migrating flock follows an undeniable call that urgently flows, spine through wingtip, surging further than sight. birds respond naturally to this seasonal invocation of guiding power & the lead bird feels the pull first, drawing the others to accompany. day after day the steady relentless primal call surges through the flock. the one who leads is not concerned with getting ahead & the ones trailing after are not concerned that they are following. there is one thing only: the numinous call to journey that maintains its compelling driving force. all follow it throughout nature's vast realm, responding as they are able. Shiva, You call irresistibly & i respond to the urgency, offering myself to You. there is no lull for those who can hear Your call, nor is it needed, for being near You fills all the emptiness within.