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

Beloved

As the lotus dies without water,

As the night is blind without the moon,

So is my heart without you, Beloved.

I wander alone at night,

Driven by my longing for you.

I hunger for you all the day,

I thirst for you all the night.

—Meera

As the orchid longs for the sun,

as the desert longs for water,

as a child longs for her mother,

as fish could not swim without the sea,

as deer could not run without the earth,

as wolves long for deer when the pack is hungry,

as a dog longs for his owner when he is alone,

as cats long for mice,

as birds long for seed,

as bees long for nectar,

as ants long for crumbs,

as vultures long for carcass,

as bears long for fish,

as whale long for krill,

as dolphins long for play,

as ghosts long for life,

as water longs for motion,

as the lost long to be found,

as a swan longs for his partner,

so I long for you, Lord, Beloved.

You are the love of my life.

You are the only consolation.

I long to look into your eyes.

I long to nestle in your arms,

I long for the kiss of your lips.

I long for your touch.

I long for your presence in my heart.

You are my dwelling place, and I am far from home.

I do not know the way to you.

I long for you early in the morning.

I long for you all afternoon.

I long for you in the evening.

I long for you all night long.

I search for you day and night.

I cannot rest until I find you, until I am found by you.

Could it be, that you long for me, as I long for you?

Could it be, that you long to wrap your arms around me?

That you long to pull me close into your embrace?

That you long to inhabit me and be inhabited by me?

That you long to hear every word from my mouth?

That you long to know my every thought?

That you long to hear my prayers?

I am yours from head to toe.

I give you my all.

I will seek you my whole life long.

And once I find you, I will never let you go.