In the Ashram's Atmosphere

11/1/09

Are we alone the ones who love and care,

Who believe the spirit fills our mortal air?

Look closely at surrounding joy awhile,

The heart of youth, the conscious infant's smile

The gleeful dance of children and compare

The stillness in the mendicant and thief,

The athlete's concentration and belief,

Force coiled within the beauty of its form,

The avatar protecting all from harm

Who lifts from us the heavy cloak of grief,

The yogi in whose eyes we see a light

That draws us like a beacon from our night,

The singer and the song that is his soul

The actor who responds to an inner call

Becoming what he was not for sheer delight,

The saint who seeks not heaven or release

But to be on earth an instrument of peace.

Then humbly as we look into the glass

Reflecting self and see the ages pass

Bow down with gratitude that shall not cease,

Acknowledge god in every form and face,

And know ourselves recipients of grace.