SHELTER by Urmila Devi Dasi

Recently I was asked to edit and comment upon the draft of an extensive commentary on Ecclesiastes...

It was written by my godbrother, Jayadvaita Swami.

It was difficult work, but satisfying, and by the end I had found, among other benefits, an unanticipated increase in my sense of worldly detachment. 

In that mood, I wrote this poem:

Shelter

Art by Alice Juliet Mason

Shelter keeps harm far away.

Shelter is where one finds a way

To safety and a place of trust;

The shelter itself cannot bust

Up into thousands of pieces,

Tearing flesh and leaving creases

In the flowing fabric of life;

Shelter doesn't stab in the back with a knife.

Shelter is sturdy and strong and holds;

Solid, dependable without hidden molds

Which rot from within and destroy the place

Moon Bird by Alice Juliet Mason

Just when one needs relief and grace;

In illusion we seek water in a mirage

Shelter in a teetering old garage

Hope in the shifting words of ordinary folk

Who appear to hold out a solid rope

Of rescue and care and shelter

But who drop it and leave us bitter;

Shelter is full of gratitude and grace

Forgiveness, compassion, and not a trace

Of envy or fear or duplicitous dealings

Heart overflowing with loving feelings

Let me fall in the arms of my waiting Lord

My heart’s ship to His dock be ever moored.

Urmila Devi Dasi (Dr. Edith Best) has been practicing bhakti yoga since 1973 and travels the world teaching the science of the Bhagavad Gita and the practical application of bhakti to life. She has a PhD in education and has three decades of experience teaching primary and secondary students, which include 19 years of experience as a school administrator and leader. She has published Vaikuntha Children, a guidebook for devotional education, The Great Mantra for Mystic Meditation, dozens of articles, and Dr. Best Learn to Read, an 83 book complete literacy program with technology enabling the story books to speak in 25 languages at the touch of a special “pen”. Urmila and her husband, Pratyatosa, have three grown married children and eleven grandchildren. In 1996, Urmila and Pratyatosa entered the renounced order of life, or vanaprastha, in Sanskrit. You may connect with her through her website here, or subscribe to her on Facebook. 

~If you are interested in seeing your poetry appear in this blog, or submitting a poem by a woman that has inspired you, please click here for submission guidelines. I greatly look forward to hearing from you!~