The Brave Pedestrian

There are others in need, and they deserve you more This year, Goddess Lakshmi, please pass by my door There are others in need, and they deserve you more. Take my earnings, my wealth and my pride, I pray Let shared wealth — not my own — glow radiant today. Am I falsely proud, Mother? Is this illusion and lie? Take me down, Maha Kali. Make me stand small and shy. Come with your sword, like a sheep shear me naked And then hold my hand, help me hold my head high. My countrymen stand small, how can I stand tall? Cast their fate upon me, in their midst let me fall. And then, Mother Shakti, give me love, strength and grace To be a guide they can trust, and a true friend to all. ——————— Happy Diwali, my friends. I am praying for an end to our collective mania for endless economic growth, and our addiction to the rat race. I’m praying for peace, contentment and a healthy dose of reality. I humbly ask you all to join me in this prayer. Krish 98215 88114   – October 15, 2...

My neglected Mother who is largely unworshipped, You gave me dreams and daydreams Of being your footstool when I was tiny. I have not forgotten the ecstacy of those dreams. Mother, decades ago, I pledged my right hand to you And gave only my left to your rival. Bless me then to fulfil this oath. Let her be at arms length May I never prostrate before her. May I never pray to her whom the world worships. I beg you, Mother Don’t curse me by casting me away Or lose me by letting me drift. Or let me be one whom the world swayed. Don’t let me wake up one morning, Mother, And discover that somewhere along the way, I mortgaged myself in bits and pieces To the bitch goddess of wealth. Bless me that I may watch the dance of this goddess With amusement befitting your child, your plaything. When she turns her face to me, let me not be charmed. When she turns her back to me, let me not be anxious. When it looks like she has gone, let my heart not sink. When it ...