jiva – THIS HAPPENED

i’m not obedient to society.
i am restless & questioning, persistent
in pushing against the edges & borders.
i don’t identify with culture or race
or nation or gender or wealth or title.
the body appears human. the indweller
is vaster, more inclusive than named alone.

ah, Shiva! the mind can see & say a lot,
yet it all so swiftly changes & flows on.
only You can remain constant in this realm.
only You are truly present within me
when the whole construct crashes down to the ground.

the transformative cycle begins anew
in this realm of infinite variety
where i cleave to You as the only constant.
You are my magnetic north, my sun & moon.
i take up this changing role for You alone,
as Your expression of transformation. thus,
i’m not obedient to society.
i am Yours alone, Shiva, embodied here
in this shining mystery as Your blessing.

i confess that people in my life are like shadows cast upon a screen. though they reach out, they cannot touch me. their voices blend with the rushing wind, as real as stars at noon, sun at night. they come & go, rise & fall & fade. only You stay steady, Lord Shiva. You are seated firmly in the heart & my life is circling around You, held fast by an unbreakable cord. Your fragrance tells me that You are near. we are invisibly blended, wed, & the party is in full swing now in my heart's most resonant chamber. the shadow people, slowly turning, seem to move in time with Your music which is leaking out through all my pores, drenching the surroundings with Your love. my hand, in Your hand, reaches to them to whirl us in a vast circle dance.