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

You Will Serve

You will attain immense strength.

You will control anger and pride.

You will enjoy peace, poise, and serenity.

You will become divine.

—Swami Sivananda

Master: You will walk through a valley and kind words will blossom at your feet.

It won’t matter what people do to you. You will lavish them with praise.

You will help the people who hurt you, serve the people who damage you.

You will bake pies for strangers and deliver each piece with a scoop of ice cream.

The animals will gravitate toward you. Birds will eat out of your hand.

Mother rabbits will bring you their babies to hold.

When people stomp on you, you will say thank you.

When people take things from you, you will be at peace with what you still have.

You will delight in giving things away, even the things you would love to keep.

When there is war, you will radiate peace.

When others are angry, you will be calm.

You will fear nothing.

The time is coming. It is coming soon.

For I have seen you open your home to the homeless.

I have seen you serving meals to the hungry.

I have seen you answering attacks with kindness.

I have seen you sitting on your cushion, your mind focused on the moment.

I have seen how present you have become.

You are becoming a saint.

Pupil: But that is impossible. I have done none of those things.

I have lived in the silence of my mother’s house and tapped away my fears.

Calm reigns in my mind, but I do nobody any good.

I serve no one.

I sleep day and night.

I am escaping the world.

It is just me and my poverty and my emptiness.

Master: Your time will come. You will find your healing.

You will awaken from your slumber.

You cannot escape your destiny.

Saint, you will serve.