blessed

i am blessed

to be unrolled from god's great embrace

each morning when my feet touch the floor.

blessed with the gift of another chance to get things right.

i am blessed by the small tractor

that my sons have left beside the bed for me,

an offering radiant with the dusty generosity of earth.

i am blessed by a kitchen sink overflowing with dishes,

and leftover vegetable.

it is this work that humbles.

especially the cutlery which is menial and cluttered

and gives me an opportunity to do

something i don't particularily enjoy every single day.

i am blessed

by warm baths

and tiny fingers around my neck at 2 o'clock in the morning.

by tiny voices calling me "mama"

and even smaller ones inside saying

"a million and one gods surround you."

i am blessed bending forward

as my forehead grazes my legs.

and blessed bending backward as my hands meet the floor

and my heart opens wide.

often i am blessed by shakti

when she shakes me loose in her crazy-lady dance.

blessed by shiva as he honours me with his "sit-me-down-in-the-corner" stillness.

in silence nataraj and i jive,

in this,

our small corner of the universe.

ganesha comes to bless

with a sweep of that unusually elaphantine nose,

then suddenly,

all obstacles are removed and i feel

the pure clarity and purpose of my life unfolding.

kali comes too.

cursing and cutting

and killing away all that needs to die.

she makes one unholy mess,

then leaves me in the aftermath of her chaos,

and i realize that she has done me the great favour

of destroying the things i thought i had loved.

soon,

and not a second too late,

krishna blows in on the devoted breath of the divine.

he loves and dances,

dances and loves all sorrow away

with one sensuous trill of his bamboo flute.

he knows how to reach this maiden's heart with a glance,

a pose,

a single sacred note...and i know this--

that i am blessed.