Skip to main content

THE BRIDE by Aparna Khanolkar


Love is the greatest longing of every human heart…

I wrote this poem for a deeper experience of the bride on her wedding day. 

Amidst all the excitement, festivities and joy is the secret of love. If we listen carefully enough, we can hear it reaching out to us from all corners of the universe. Yes, this is what we all long to experience most: love that is always there for us. 

The Bride

A longing, an ache in my restless heart
Love churns, spins like a whirling dervish in divine ecstasy
Sublime sorrow, the heart yearns for a glimpse of innocence

The candles flicker in the evening breeze
Rose petals wait eagerly lest they wither if they give up hope
Photograph by Braja Mandala
The curls of incense smoke play with themselves
I sit here adorned with my jewels,
sandalwood and henna on my hands,
heart open, ready
body and spirit anticipating  -- 
your arrival, your acceptance, your love

A culmination, an end to an eternal quest
Lift the veil on my intellect
submerge me in love
Whisper in my ears of divine love, its ecstasy

This red and gold saree will not matter
as will not the gold or the tinkle of my ankle bells
My eyes are hungry, thirsty, eager to devour you in one soul gaze

Struggles, obstacles - a mere dance as I make my way to you
The one that sees me - royal, regal, with exquisite beauty and grace
This body, this mind will die one day
This heart beats its beat to the cosmic rhythm of love
It reverberates with every sound of the universe - each whisper, each song, each word is love from you.
Wedding photography by House of Talent

Aparna Khanolkar was a chef and culinary consultant for the Chopra Center for Wellbeing where she taught people about the value of food, health and Ayurvedic lifestyle. She’s authored and published four books (A Mother's Blessing,Purify and Heal, Happy Belly Happy Soul, and Spice). Aparna teaches workshops and facilitates retreats for women using this ancient knowledge from her native India. She co-founded Grace, Power and Beauty: “To Inspire women be spirited and soft, feel beautiful, soulful and wise. I show women how to be in charge of your own destiny - for health, happiness and peace. What I teach you is easy and juicy: how to journey from Karma to Dharma. All it requires is that you show up.” You may visit her website here, find her on facebook here, or write to her at aparna@themistressofspice.com


~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!~ 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IMAGINE A WOMAN by Patricia Lynn Reilly

  This poem invites you to look upon yourself with loving kindness… Gazing at your own true reflection, you will discover that everything you have longed for “out there” is already within you! I invite you to love your creativity fiercely. Faithfully plant seeds, allowing under-the-ground dormant seasons, nurturing your creative garden with love and gratitude. In the fullness of time, the green growing things thrust forth from the ground. It's a faithful, trustworthy process. AND it takes time and patience.  Blessed is the fruit of your creative womb! I invite you to trust your vision of the world and express it. With wonder and delight, paint a picture, create a dance, write a book, and make up a song. To give expression to your creative impulses is as natural as your breathing. Create in your own language, imagery, and movement. Follow no script. Do not be limited by the customary way things have been expressed. Your creative intuition is original. Ga...
31 comments
Read more

STILL I RISE by Maya Angelou

Six years ago, I had the privilege of listening to Maya Angelou speak live on the value of poetry at the University of Florida. I share these reflections with you again today, in honor of her birthday.  I was relieved to get one of the last seats available for this rare event, having arrived at five for Maya Angelou ’s free speech at eight. The historically long line began with people settled into beach chairs in winter coats busying themselves on tablets, or eating sandwiches for dinner. As helicopters hovered above and newscasters below, I felt the excitement of realizing that thousands of people were gathering together to hear an eighty four year old black woman recite her poetry! Maya Angelou speaking at University of Florida on Feb. 27, 2013  When the curtain rose -after an overflow of hundreds were sent away- we lucky ones on the inside greeted Maya with a standing ovation, as she smiled sweetly, beginning her talk using metaphors from nature. Maya asked...
15 comments
Read more

MIRABAI'S POETRY by Caitanya Dasi

Much of the mystic love poetry from India revolves around musical and theatrical expressions that portray the loving relationship between the soul and God… One such celebrated relationship was that between princess Mirabai and her divine beloved, Krishna. Born in the sixteenth century  into a noble Rajput family, Mirabai married into a family that did not take fondly to her devotion to God. Consequently, she went from royalty to mendicant, and decorated her spiritual path with poetic songs. I first heard of the great poet, Mirabai in the early 1970’s while I was living and studying bhakti yoga at the Hare Krishna temple in Los Angeles, California.  As I had a background in the performance arts Mirabai’s life instantly spoke to me. Her fusion of spiritual sentiments with song resonated with my passion for music, drama, dance, and the devotional path to loving God. In 1968 I serendipitously met a devotee by the name of Mirabai, who taught me that the perfectio...
4 comments
Read more