Saraswati

SARASWATI

Saraswati

Goddess of wisdom, music, verse

and the creative arts

I open my tongue tied mouth

drunk from words written

with nectar ink

cognizant of the sacred power

and majesty

of all utterance

proceeding from a pure heart

onto a pure white page

Hare Rama Hare

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)

Heart Kiss

HEART KISS

Will you kiss my heart tonight Lord?

And make me bloom lushly like the

lotus moon rising over a barren and

lifeless desert

How I languish in the scattered

funeral petals of another orphaned

day seeking only Your radiance and

those luminous orbs that dance

around the sun forever

Who can love me like You - God?

robed in a long dark dream I wait in

the orange embers of Your Presence

for the only caress that really

matters the only kiss

that truly endures

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)

The Guru's Supreme Love

THE GURU'S SUPREME LOVE

Swami

You have not asked me for one paisa

nary a penny

not even a farthing

what can I grant to the

Giver of Everything

the bestower of wealth itself

except my transformation

few can understand the chela's devotion

the immense love that makes us indistinguishable

the mirror no longer reflects my image

only the soft rustle of Your coral robes

crescent moon eyes

Krishna smile

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)

Saguna Gems

SAGUNA GEMS

The nectar of Your name caresses

my numb heart softens the

hardened portals unblocks the

sadness, disappointment, grief, fear,

bitterness that clogs the

passageways and poisons the spirit

The dog treasures his bone

squirrels their acorn

day adores the sun

night seduces the milk white moon

I drown in the holy honey

of Your Name

God! God! GOD!

You who will never forsake

or abandon Your devotee

You and Your name are

One

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)

Window On Infinity

WINDOW ON INFINITY

In shimmering ebb of evening's

closing tide I kneel and kiss

Your jeweled footprint

Above a trillion super stars illumine

the temple dome and a crescent

moon floats near the crown of my

head I've forgotten my name

and the way home long ago washed

out to sea

There is no existence apart from

You

I wander the dazzling shoreline a

cobra draped around my neck

I am Shiva the thousand petaled

One

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)

Sai Ram!

SAI RAM!

Swami here I come

soon, soon beloved

I will cradle your gaze

in the bouquet of my heart

O tears when our eyes meet

across the breathless Atlantic

like a bird flying east without sleep

like Hanuman leaping with the

name of Ram clinging to his lips

every hair on my body

chanting eternally

Sai Ram! Sai Ram! Sai Ram!

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)

Mountain Monastery

MOUNTAIN MONASTERY

Radiance of Your ketheric kiss

is all I have left...

sleepless I pace through

the long snowbound polar night

listen to the wolf's forlorn howl

and a woman weeping in the

nether-lands

this abominable separation!

tracking Your crystal footprints

with my heart

Hari!

can you not hear the Soul's lament

sighing over remote, frostbitten blue

trails that lead nowhere if You are

not present

Companion of Heaven!

when will You visit my tent again?

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)

Shine

SHINE

Twiling dusk

evanescent shadows

fall on their knees

lonely purple silhouettes

meditate in a forest chapel

near a pond of stars

our prayers

sear the skies

with scarlet fire of the

setting sun

Your omnipresence

shining through

crowd of planets

blur of human and heavenly 

bodies

suffuses

encompasses

dispelling all doubts

reassuring our parched and

pining spirits

any distance imagined

between God and His Beloved is

a false and distant myth

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)

Dawn Nectar

DAWN NECTAR

It's 3 o'clock AM, Brahma Muhurtham

this blessed hour calls to our Souls

We shake off dreams

morning bells peal from celestial

cathedrals

welcoming God with the saintly sound

of Omkaram and Suprabhatam

women garbed in gold trimmed silk

saris, white Indian jasmine woven

through wavy raven locks

sit in lotus pose like elegant

oak church pews

tap, tap, tap of crystal malas

spinning mantras on the wind

Awaken God of the Universe

Lord of Love and Light

Awaken Sai Avatar and grant all the

beings in all the worlds

Happiness

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)

Om Shakti Om

OM SHAKTI OM

The river was a blazing comet

in the center of each Lotus

drifting downstream

like Saraswati swans

there was a white candle

a cavalcade of shimmering

sunlit petals

For nine nights

on the banks of the river

devotees kept vigil

with their hands folded

in prayer

some sang hymns in praise

of the Goddess

others chanted her Divine name

and extolled Her power

I feel Devi near

seated on her mammoth Lion

ten arms flashing

a sword shredding, decimating

destroying the dark denizens of

ignorance

Her Light heralding

the Victory of

Good over evil.

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)

Vanishing

VANISHING

when the lover approaches me

with enormous peacock eyes

and His enchanted plumes

fall across my soul what can I give

but... everything

every wild windswept tantric kiss shared

from the honey-suckled mouth

of a yellow striped bee

glued against sticky amber blossoms

open wet and fragrant under the

amorous throbbing sun

thawing, melting, stiff, icy, polar peaks,

snowbound rivers

rush across the boundaries of a Self

so incredibly immense

so infinitely proportioned

our toes tickle the milky way

and our heads rest somewhere in

Heaven.

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)

Bhakti Tears

BHAKTI TEARS

Clouds are clinging to my feet

the sun has taken up residence in my eyes

crystal incense of vibhuti blankets

the atmosphere

the cosmic sound of Om rumbles

through my bones

and my lips are stained blue with

Krishna's azure kiss

my soul stares in electrified awe

as I look toward Lord Sai's glorious abode

surely it is absolutely, undeniably

a billion good birth's fortune

to be here for this timeless moment in time

when God has taken birth as

BHAGAVAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA!!!

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)

Fool's Gold

FOOL'S GOLD

We searched for crystal

along the beaten, bleeding, broken

path and found fool's gold instead

though it seemed like we were

going in dumb luck circles

herds, propelled by our intrinsic

longing for something more,

far beyond earthly value

lost in the fascinating dust

could we have sensed

crystal in the inner atmosphere

scintillating rainbow facets and

the pot of gold

eternally balanced on our heads

Our beautiful God

rolls out the magic red carpet

Lead in Love, Tread in Truth,

Proceed in Peace, Rove in Right

action, Navigate in Nonviolence

this is the royal road home.

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)

Chant The Name Of God

CHANT THE NAME OF GOD

inhaling God tasting God chanting

God hearing God seeing

God feeling God loving God meditating

God being God

His name woos every orifice

in this iron maiden kali age, its the

only hope we have

Rama Jesus Allah Buddha Krishna

Shiva Sai Jehova

Shakti Mother Mary Devi Durge Quan Yin

Elohim Matreiya

I wear only the garland of Your name

and dance without fear or shame

garbed in Your ecstasy the jungle

cannot devour me

adorned with Your love demons of

malice, fear, violence, avarice,

depression and despair

fall at Your feet like born again angels

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)

Blue Embers

BLUE EMBERS

words fall empty silent

pained into the 

altar fires

life without You

an unbearable cross to bear

ash is smeared across my

forehead

but not just for Lent

now I wear the

tattered rags and carry the

begging bowl of Shiva

even the crematory dust of

my bones

shiver in the hereafter

for one blessed whisper from

the lips of

my beloved

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)

Tatata

TATATA

the tabla is chanting

tatata ta tatata ta ta

dark red eyed clouds

have gathered behind

the Mandir

and the mighty footsteps

of Sai Shiva thunders

through our Souls

Where is our home Lord?

Who are we?

many lifetimes fly by

still we forget...

wandering minstrels

nomad orphans

banging the drum of

our longing...

this dream that never

seems to end...

O Sai help us to awaken.

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)

Ghost Town

GHOST TOWN

I know if I can just be still

if I can quell the restless

choppy waves of my ego

the constant coming and

going

of my hunter's mind

where are you?

the moon is misty

there is the foghorn sound

so mournful...

the air is thick with brine

even the eyes of the Sea

swell with stormy longing

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)

Moon Bow

MOON BOW

night has knitted into day

Your Name

which the wind and

the billowing sea

treasure above all else

resounds forever inside

the tiny temple of

a conch lying

on the glistening shore

who will sing your song

Hari

as the sun melts

bleeding through the

wet footprints

of another lost daydream

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)

Feet Of Light

I bathe my Father's aged, worn, peeling

Nile brown feet

feet that once proudly trod the noble earth

from his island of Manhattan

around the world as a WWII vet and back

these feet are raw with life

patting them dry, gently filing the

gnarled nails

even simple tasks like this so hard

for him to do now

and tender touches few and far between

He seems to enjoy the gentle foot

massage with sweet oils

my thoughts soak in rich memories of

Dad's wise words and honest living

His imperfections, too, a monument,

a testament to one determined

to stay the course, to not quit, despite

emotional, economic and ethnic obstacles

anointing his feet with more oil,

I reflect on the early pain between us

how the balm of Love and Forgiveness

which soothes and softens

all calloused, hardened feelings

blessed us with healing

Clasping my Father's feet in my hands

I bow to his Lotus feet

he was my first glimpse of God and

Unconditional Love

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)

HIGH BEAM

HIGH BEAM

luminous shadow

at Your Feet

I gaze up at You

a lovesick gazelle

whose fleeting

numbered moments

amount to nothing

if not for that One

Dazzling

transfixed second

You turned on Your

High beam

(Written by Sonya Tomlinson-Warren,

108 Bhakti Kisses - The Ecstatic Poetry of a Modern Gopi)