DELICATE by Pranada Comtois

As I observed her I made judgments about her …

The exotic-looking, young European woman, who was chanting the Bhakti maha-mantra, grabbed my full attention. Looking at her, I noticed myself making judgments about what I perceived her worldview was, as if I knew something about life she didn't!

I intentionally stopped that line of thinking and prayed that all of her spiritual aspirations be realized.

Seeing my prejudiced and miserly thinking, my prayer became deeper and I wished this -not just for her- but for everyone in the world. I wished that we all soar spiritually regardless of what containers hold our spirits, and without being distracted by those of others.

Photographic art: 'Don't Tell Me I'm Dying' by Gabrielle Shamon

Delicate

Thick kajal outlines her eyes bold-black

white-skin features fade behind

those haunting eyes hang

in space long after she leaves

walks fast a circular path, chants

genie pants billowing, retracting,

clinging to thin legs

like a yogi’s breath to quiet senses:

inhale only after exhale held long to ribs

sacred Devanagari verse tattooed

on delicious part of her neck

as if to say: I won’t be used for that

embedded words on her inner wrist

See God In Every Face

try as we may to stamp

out bodily eagerness

to touch the world

skin is skin the same

whether materialist or spiritualist

. . . oh, never mind--aspire child!

shed your skin any way you can—

Soar

on carpets, with breaths, mantras, tattoos.

Pranada Comtois spent two decades immersed as a contemplative-ascetic in an ashram, and the next twenty years raising a family and running two multi-million dollar businesses with the intention of embodying practical spirituality in the world. She brings the wisdom of multiple traditions and lessons from her own practice into her writing and speaking. Pranada is a spiritual activist who advocates for The Way of the Feminine Divine and the practice of unconditional love in daily life for personal and community transformation (Bhakti). She blogs at Little Ways of Being and is passionate about empowering women to find their unique gifts, voices, and strengths and to usher them into the world. Connect with her on facebook here.

~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!~

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