In the morning
after heavenly porridge,
we go out the door,
down the street
flying with the Maha-Mantra
through dual atmosphere
of sad and glad,
trying to forget all that nonsense
and just fight for
reaching Krishna.
Soaring with the Maha-Mantra
into all that sad-glad material
blue sky and flags
and karmis hurrying to work
Vishnu! Guide me, protect me,
Keep me assured to expect
Mercy in You.
How do I keep my mind on You?
With mace and conch shell and
lotus and disc,
You, Great, kind, Unattached Ruler of
Universal Good,
let me turn within to You
soul of me, turn to Vishnu!
let me dwell in Him,
and the rest can go on and on.
The sighing faces at work,
the demigod bosses,
bowing to the temporal Office….
it can go on and me with it,
but give me strength
to bear for You
acts in Your Name,
and since I'm unconcerned,
it can go on to the end.
I say I want to
get out
to where
You are
just to be at Your Feet
but what do I do? Why
don't I answer every question
with Vishnu? Why do I flinch
when they ask me why I'm flowering
just by the thought of You
You the Indweller in all of us
even the office boys who think
existence is a kind of joke which
they control.
Vishnu-in-me!
Enable me
to turn a braver face to You
and then to talk out everywhere
for You and say:
"everyone should turn to
Godhead and yearn for that."
Empower me, try me
with the courage
to do much more
so that at least
I can begin
at the foot of Love.
Satsvarupa Das Brahmacary
(Stephen Guarino)