Best Prana Poems
Wild spirit -
I cherished you tender
within my halo of prana;
careful not to hurt you
as I worked to set you free
using hands of peace
in harmony
with my heart's song
I beheld your fragile form
of freedom lost
as your panicked eyes
pleaded release..
and in those precious
and few sacred moments
I felt you relinquish
your fight or flight
to my mission of mildness...
a unifying lesson of love
befell us that day
as we exchanged gifts -
and when again you flew
through reflective silvery winds
on turquoise wings anew
we elevated in mindful mercy
to compassionate heights
in revered reverberations...
gratified to be reborn
in your new found freedom
Susan Ashley
October 7, 2018
In the twilight of suspended star thunder
where the waking jungle and broken Temple of tradition meet one another
she moves with a panthera prana, pranayama of precise paradise, air of spaceless pleasure,
A lavender Tigress of effortless enlightenment
seeking sensations on the edge of eternity's cremation,
on her fingertips questions and answers dance to mudras of nimble demolition
as the triumph of truth blazes on the tip of her tongue's flavored amusement,
genetics of ginger helix she licks and sticks to the flesh of nude nirvana
limber in the moment of typeless titillation,
becoming an animal of fearless asana,
a creature of chaos prowling along the heartbeat of karma,
Brahma made her beauty from the diamonds of a billion deceased roses,
the ascetics recognize her as a child of Kali, gorgeous and gruesome in vendetta,
for the Brahmins she is a Mother of immeasurable mystery, a kiss on the eye of history,
worshipers whisper the wealth of her shameless and shapeless clarity, as charity of Parvati,
Heirlooms of sun blood and moon love decorate the tender truth of her body,
a garden of webbing galaxies, catching the notions of novas her mandala,
rain romantic in flying fall, plucking the Ganges sitar her mantra,
the movement of melange madness through perfect passion her sutra,
poetry naked on the nerves of nascent love need is her tantra,
chakras uniting to recreate the uncreated color of consciousness, crown her aura,
as the lotus of love blooms blue, she dances on the fragrance of freedom -
J.A.B.
As the breath fills our hallowed chest with life
and heart beats upon drum of anch’ring bone
so prayerful meditation eases strife,
through dance and strum, we know, we’re not alone.
Our mantras swell, their sibilance alive…
with searching sounds we join here to atone
the flute will call, the rattle then will shake
our prana joins, we finally wake.
Contest: Music and Meditation
Poet: Debbie Guzzi
*Thanks Syd ;)
Mind, intellect ego, nor echoes they spell,
Nor sense of hearing, speech, nor of smell,
Nor am I earth, fire, air, nor yet space,
I’m Shiva, awareness and bliss.
Nor vital Life-force, nor five breath fields,
Seven essences, nor five body shields,
No limbs of action make what me is,
I’m Shiva, awareness and bliss.
Likes nor dislikes, I’ve greed, nor fantasy,
Pride nor conceit, envy nor jealousy,
Nor any pursuits of life do I miss,
I’m Shiva, awareness and bliss.
Happiness nor sorrows, virtue nor vice,
Chants, pilgrimage, Vedas nor sacrifice,
Food nor fondness, nor one that relishes,
I’m Shiva, awareness and bliss.
I’ve Death nor doubt, nor faith in wombs of worth,
Father nor mother nor I’ve any birth,
Kin, friend, guru nor disciples on earth,
I’m Shiva, awareness and bliss.
One alone, shape nor size, nor form any,
Pervasive, rife everywhere, in senses,
I’ve freedom, nor bondage, peace, poise is me,
I’m Shiva, awareness and bliss.
__________________________________________________
From aatma shatakam or nirvaana shatakam, six verses on atman, written by Shankaracharya of 8th century CE. Transliteration of the Sanskrit text is given here:
manah-buddhi-ahamkara-chittani na aham,
na cha kshotra-jihve na cha ghrana-netre |
na cha vyoma bhumih na teja vayuh
chit-ananada rupah shivah aham shivah aham ||1 ||
na cha prana-sanjnyah na vai pancha-vayuh,
na va sapta-dhatuh na va pancha-koshah |
na vak pani-padau na cha upastha-payu
chit-ananada rupah shivah aham shivah aham ||2 ||
na me dvesha-ragau na me lobha-mohau,
madah na eva me na eva matsarya bhavah |
na dharmah na cha arthah na kamah na mokshah,
chit-ananada rupah shivah aham shivah aham ||3 ||
na punyam na papam na saukhyam na duhkham,
na mantrah na tirtham na vedah na yajnyah |
aham bhojanam na eva bhojyam na bhoktah
chit-ananada rupah shivah aham shivah aham ||4 ||
na me mrtyu-shanka na me jati bhedah,
pita na eva me na eva mata na janma |
na bandhuh na mitram guruh na eva shishyah
chit-ananada rupah shivah aham shivah aham ||5 ||
aham nir-vikalpah nir-akara-rupah,
vibhuh vyapya sarvatra sarva indriyanam |
sada me samatvam na muktih na bandhah,
chit-ananada rupah shivah aham shivah aham ||6 ||
Translations |05.08.2021|
Prana
Cloudy blue stretches itself with grey yellow beams
the faint moon in observation as it seems
salty fragrance by captured firmament
ocean of Prana in living breath of decadent
realms of light by conscious vision
timeless dreams condition
keeper of wishing surreal
affirmation towards joyous appeal
scoping from the holy nectar in advance
penetrating the subtle immune by dance
unchangeable seasons in eternal bound
testament of loving virtue found
significant in identification
precious model of relation
existence all beyond
invisible correspond
frequencies in tune
entities of soul in body to prune
particles of the divine all
personality so small
chained by fears of needs
accumulations of poor deeds
dharma prana karma
happenstance by reasons drama
melodies by heart solution
celestial light conclusion
blessings of evolution
Moon drips are like gigantic slides and cloud surfing is very very exciting particularly when shoved with a broom. Base jumping off smaller spheres can be hazardous and mind the cats on the way down. They can pickle. It is often wise to omit zero shine to a coat. As many layers can spring around. Touching all areas. Yet stagnant in none. And all the time the warbling sounds. The jeering molluscs. Suited in rows. Caterpillar women with beady eyes. And large bulbous land based porpoises. Well, they will never get to create a pretty picture on the sandy ground. Such is the rationalisation of the purple winking frog who hops over global obstacles with a swoosh. Reverb is not an easy option so never swing back carrying ten cups of tea. Merely a cataclysm. In catacombs. In chasms. And often in pans. Pinnacles of diamante peas can fall. And tomato ships will arrive in a tray boat. Winds whipping windows wildly wildlife xxxx and treatment of a small disc shaped fish. *** chicken chicken peck peck peck ha ha ha whilst pock is neither a sunny synonym for it is a wondrous concoction of sound. *** level not a bun nor a beard nor a bread. *** and now swim in 900 metres of juices from a tree. Xx treasures unknown and unforeseen....*** ha ha ha question not a queue xxxx basins baby babies booming baboons boomerangs books bookshelves beads...*** prana prang xx piranha pyramids *** trepidation of tortoises xxxx pig presentation *** ha fortifications *** 83% of a dust particle *** physiology *** deliberation. Z.z.z. Boom. *** in a mild temperate climate a calling cattle moves. Xx momentous x z z z x
I'm hot. I'm cold; afraid, now bold.
I'm good. I'm bad; silly, now sad.
I'm wrong. I'm right, filled with clarity;
Now, no clue or true insight.
How do I shake and awaken?
Break the great seal of the wheel?
Will I ever know calmness,
Peaceful joy, and be still?
The great Law of Polarity rules my life;
Keeps me entangled in Karma, unaware of my plight.
In moments of quietness the Truth seeks me out;
Whispers the answers that banish all doubts.
There is an awareness higher than this
Where I am One with my Source;
Drifting in moments of stillness;
Confident, resting in peaceful bliss.
Captain of my soul, the truth is mine to weld.
I am anchored in ancient knowledge,
Breathing deeply in life giving Prana,
Finally free from the oppressive wheel.
I control the frequency, the ebb and the flow
By focused thought and clarity, directing the show.
Creation is my destiny and joy its end,
No longer strapped to the unyielding spokes within.
It is only what we look for that we really see
And we can only truly see it if we believe.
Opposites appear, retreat and fade.
They are not even real; just a harmless charade.
But the truth stands fast. There's nothing to fear; it's merely Contrast.
Only consciousness remains and eternal Love that lasts.
It's the highest emotion. It's at the top of the list.
It has no opposite, no Karma; only peace and bliss.
Bend…curl…stretch and Breathe in the prana; salute the sun.
Warrior one…warrior two…into downward facing dog; hold…breathe.
Oxygen coursing throughout each blood vessel…invigorating!
Baba is ready is to teach me to terminate my agitated consciousness,
I sat on my yoga mat and with my legs folded and awaited the deliverance,
I closed my eyes and took a breath soon I was not who I was,
The me was coming out of my self,
I was sitting outside being one with nature,
Exercising my "prana breathing" I was at one with myself,
This energy underlined all that was reality,
I reached into the depth of my soul and grasped for contentment,
My prana entered me as I inhaled and exhaled the natural air,
My mind,body and soul was reincarnated .
Delhi seems closer than it was last time.
After a tea with GST,
on to a backstreet of Varanasi,
Untouched by authority;
ignored more by memory
than darkened by amnesia.
A huge black cow lazes about,
like a Moghul monarch blocking
half the street. It won’t let the OLA pass.
At the hoary-holy sanctum,
my poor drops of milk from a paper cup
pour on to the Lord’s cosmic crown.
Ganga, here, is a very old Benares
fraying at the edges, laid out in the open.
So still, like samana, the balancing prana.
From a boat I watch how human flesh fuels
the firewood at the Harichandra ghat..
Benares eyes Harichandra rather darkly.
Then, the Ganga Arati at 6.30
Their off-white attire. The huge lamps they hold
and draw patterns with, in the air.
Lines with the solemn predictability
of a Ravi varma . Ganga is a new Miss world by now.
At the Manikarnika ghat too, bodies dutifully burn.
In the dark, Death sparkles like huge fireflies;
pampered by pundits and Sanskrit
I lie in an OYO at Godowlia so ill.
So close to mukti. A godsend of a doctor
At Matha Anandamayi hospital queers my pitch..
One of a tribe long extinct in Serpent town,
his fees: ‘whatever you please’.
I remember hospitals back in Kerala.
Thank god, I was not in one there.
Else, I would have hit hell by now, looking for money.
Sure, the ‘path to hell is paved with good intentions’
( of corporates and false swamis)
Notes:
Varanasi: It is also called Benares and Kashi, One of the holiest of cities in India, known for its temple, by the Ganges, dedicated to Lord Shiva.
OLA : The taxi cab app, OYO : An app to find hotel rooms.
Serpent town : Trivandrum, Samana : One of the five pranas(breaths), the equalizing prana.
good deeds,
would bring,
the hoods needs down,
should we frown; upon
people of charitable consciousness?
Inheritable prominence,
doesn't complement,
who we are,
like multiple atoms flowing near moving stars,
we come together,
whatever the weather, and when ever endeavors,
of non-pleasure surface.
we question the purpose,
as the essence is worked in,
to the curtains, of visual perception,
Theres minimal objections,
to helping others,
I'm inhaling the wonders,
of prana,
Like uncovering sauna's,
theres allota, steam,
so all them deeds,
witch were good become anomalies,
in time,
so your psychologically inclined,
to be a better person...
Ever brew tea in an industrial brewer?
I did just yesterday with a tea bag fewer
then more have seen. I watched it drip
mixing water with steam and drip leaving
lines in between, the loose leaves.of tea.
A star pattern there when I peeked to see
what a tea maker brews inside of a T.
And when the heat hit my eyes I realized
what was so familiar to me...'do mine path'
was inscribed in the leaves.
I considered to know what I believe.
I paused to consider what might deceive.
Just and before I tossed the leaves.
... smiles.
you ARE a dope and I'm knot mean. Just
neurotic transmission of the secret unseen.
A VEnue open to peace in the mind
blowing open holes that Time left behind.
It's a network framed in a windy rhyme.
It's a new avenue and a way to be kind.
Well.come.to the filters mind. A pleasure
of a center that we all can find.
Neurotransmitter. A natural ChiMe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine
Dopamine was first synthesized in 1910 by George Barger and James Ewens at Wellcome
Laboratories in London, England.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qi
Ch'i
Qi
It is frequently translated as "energy flow," and is often compared to Western notions of
energeia or élan vital (vitalism) as well as the yogic notion of prana. The literal
translation is "air," "breath," or "gas" (compare the original meaning of Latin spiritus
"breathing"; or the Common Greek p?e?µa, meaning "air," "breath," or "spirit"; and the
Sanskrit term prana, "breath" ).
The Great Wheel
I'm hot. I'm cold; afraid, now bold.
I'm good. I'm bad; silly, now sad.
I'm wrong. I'm right, filled with clarity.
Now, no clue or true insight.
How do I shake and awaken?
Break the great seal of the wheel?
Will I ever know calmness,
Peaceful joy, and be still?
The great Law of Polarity rules my life.
It keeps me entangled in karma, unaware of my plight.
In moments of quietness the Truth seeks me out,
Whispers the answers that banish all doubts.
There is an awareness higher than this
Where I am One with my Source,
Drifting in moments of stillness,
Confident, resting in peaceful bliss.
Captain of my soul, the truth is mine to weld.
I am anchored in ancient knowledge,
Breathing deeply in life giving Prana,
Finally free from the oppressive wheel.
I control the frequency, the ebb and the flow
By focused thought and clarity, directing the show.
Creation is my destiny and joy its end,
No longer strapped to the unyielding spokes within.
It is only what we look for that we really see
And we can only truly see it if we believe.
Opposites appear, retreat and fade.
They are not even real, just a harmless charade.
But the truth stands fast. There's nothing to fear; it's merely contrast.
Only consciousness remains and eternal Love that lasts.
It's the highest emotion. It's at the top of the list.
It has no opposite, no karma, only peace and bliss.
Copyright © Chula Fleming 2/9/1989
The gray bearded wizard in its night blue cloak,
two ravens and a wolf are his recognition flock.
He has the ability to shape shift from the dead,
into animals speaking the language of same is said.
In midwinter nights he is leading a furious host called Wotan,
occupying ritual haunted burial cemeteries of man.
Legends proclaiming Odin’s procurement and decision.
giving his eyes to the underworld to gain mystical vision.
Laying with giantess and guarding the mead of inspiration,
teaching them the runes rock interpretation.
He paradoxical sacrifices himself suspended in a tree,
grasping from its roots transcendent secrets to see.
The seeds of the world tree itself crystallized,
giving those revelation when health is devitalized.
Wondrous feats of magic from the seat of the chanter,
divinations and prophesies by the runes enchanter.
The runic lore considered as sturdy essence,
pervading the field of divine consciousness .
The invisible soul of the world and its spirit breath,
the deep azure of infinite space and no death.
Embodying prana extended psyche,
divine madness by which magic is the high key.
Odin’s mind in humanity with godly revelation,
bringing fort the wisdom from Woden’s Wain constellation.
The hooded lord and animal whisperer of good right,
mighty Odin reveals the transcendent second sight.
Whisper secrets rune stone tell and knowledge to desire,
timeless runic myths through eternal ice and fire.
("Anagogical Moments Merit Badge" #39, 2011, original oil)
As Above So NOT Below
The tripartite world of material appearance
Sandwiched between the infinite depths
Of the unconscious
And infinite expanse
Of transcendent supraconsciousness
Encompasses all that is and isn’t
Known and unknown
Desired and undesirable….
Confused, turned upside down
By our own inverted perceptions
Most of us contentedly live
Lives of ignorant bliss
Even though it’s more often one of suffering
Nestled securely in the middle
Within the sandwich of two ineffables
High and low.
And then there are the few
Driven for whatever perverse reasons
To escape the safe and mundane
Striving for transcendence
Most often settling instead for descendence
Into the unconscious.
This is the easy path after all
The downward path of gravity
Earth Mother
Universal womb
And holy bhaga.
And so we go
Tempted by The Fates to strive
In whatever way they guide us
For the unattainable
Or that which once attained
Dissolves all other….
And so we rise
You and I against all odds
Against the force of Nature
Somehow turned upside down again
Totally mixed up and thus righted
In our confusion
Breaking for a surface
Which holds the light
A surface dividing
The above from the below
The earth from sky
The Mother from Father
Our past from future.
Rising, propelled with the last trace of breath, prana, chi
To break the surface
And cycle of existence
To finally at last break free.
To take another
And dive again.
(11/23/23)