Inaugural post

A couple of friends have suggested that I keep a Weblog. I've resisted doing so for years, but I've decided to give it a whirl. I suppose I can use this blog to share some of my explorations of the path of bhakti yoga. Perhaps I'll get a clearer idea of what to do with this as I develop it.

I'll take a chance here and begin by sharing some of the poetry I've written over the years. I'll start with a couple of sonnets I wrote several years ago. They are dedicated to the service of my eternal spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

I’ve turned my back on Krishna, from Him run
As fast and far as I could ever go.
I’ve been stuck tight in Kali, my head spun
By a drastic case of karmic vertigo.
Who knows how long I’ve wallowed in this pit?
Who cares how many different ways I’ve tried
To find some pleasure? Though the signs said, “Quit!”
I closed my eyes and courted suicide.
Then you, my master, turned me to the light
With Hari-kirtan, Gita, and prasad.
And now, although I’m clearly neophyte,
I try to serve the confidant of God.
A child of Kali, saved by Divine Grace,
Chants Hare Krishna in the Marketplace.

I wasn’t very steady, but I tried
To accept what Krishna wanted—leave the rest.
Not convinced yet, not completely purified,
I must have really put your mercy to the test.
But as I chanted and I read your divine words,
I found real life, a spiritual revolution.
New desires from deep in my heart stirred;
I longed to taste and share the nectar of devotion.
A disciple’s life I wanted, nothing more;
Your mission became everything to me.
And so today I write you to implore
That this may be my life eternally.
Now your child, begging for Your Divine Grace,
Works to spread your teachings in this fallen place.