In God Makes the Rivers to Flow; An Anthology of the World’s Sacred Poetry & Prose, Eknath Easwaran includes a selection from Swami Paramananda entitled “Origin of All.”  I’ve written the following poem-like reflections inspired by this selection.

All That Belongs to Us

Thou art the Supreme Lord.
Thou art the Source of all Bliss.
 
Manifest Thyself to us. Come to us.
Make Thy Divine Presence felt in our hearts.
 
Grant unto us Thy peace and blessing.
—Swami Paramananda
 

We are all minor Lords and Ladies,

but you are the Lord above all,

the Lord beneath all,

the Lord within all,

the Lord that surrounds us.

 

May we know the bliss that is our birthright,

the bliss that begins and ends in you,

the bliss that lights up our heart center

and makes us dance in the streets

and in the privacy of our dark rooms.

 

We call upon you to come to us

fully knowing that we have never been apart.

We call upon you to stir in our hearts

the awakening that we have always longed for.

We call upon you to announce yourself,

make yourself known to us,

call our names so clearly

they cannot be missed.

 

You are the spark within us

that longs to burst into flame.

Show us how to tend that spark,

to nourish it,

so that we may feel your divine heat

burning within us,

so that we may be warmed through

by your presence

that is never an absence

your presence that is more real

than the coffee in our cups,

the cereal in our bowls,

the strawberries waiting to be cut,

the cauliflower, carrots, and peppers

our mothers pickled,

the apples we peeled and boiled

into sauce,

the sugar that sweetens the mix,

the love we feel for an infant,

or puppy, or kitten,

the delight we feel walking

the woods in the dunes

on our way to the beach,

the joy we feel when we sing

those holy songs,

when we immerse ourselves

in sacred music,

the pleasure we feel

from our lover’s touch,

the gratitude we feel

for communion with our friends,

the peace we feel

sitting by a fire in a fireplace,

which is so much like your fire,

the true fire that burns

within us and will never

ever go out.

 

Your peace goes with us

when we ride in our cars

on those infinite journeys

when time stands still

and we are purely present,

captured by the moment

the strangers in the cars that pass us

or that we pass by,

the children in the backseat,

the homeless holding up signs

by the side of the road.

 

May we know the glory of the everyday,

and hunker deeply down

into all that belongs to us,

your daily blessings,

like bear cub nestling

into his mother’s warm coat.