Spirit of Beauty

I met a spirit of beauty in Auroville

Where peacocks cried in pleasure from flower-hung trees,

And a memory hold of a silver smile from still

Clear depths of soul that blossomed in delight.

I met a spirit of tenderness sublime,

A heart of strength that held its happy beats

Mid the coming and going of the impetuous feet of time

And in whose hands the lifeless clay breathed life.

From the deep and settled peace of her inward stance

A sweet and warm communion gathered all

Into the radiance of her welcoming glance

And the wondrous silence of her spirit's call.

Might all our days dawn brightly as her eyes

And love divine unmask our human guise.

First published in Mother India - January 2002