Hari Naam

The scent of your name
is everywhere
it is in the streets running
as little children dash
past doors ajar
squealing laughing excitedly
they know somethings in the air
a sweet warmth
that wasn’t there a minute ago
perhaps it’s the incense stick at twilight
that their mother has lit
at the altar of the Lord
or maybe it’s a prayer in her heart
that overwhelms the realm
beyond the blue skies
as a light drizzle
loosens His fragrance from the embrace
of a wet Mother Earth.

O sweet Saviour
these lips are numb
the song is there
the voice chokes
your graces flood this worthless life
my begging bowl overflows
nectarine is the essence of your name.

All those lifetimes without You
have exacted a heavy price
now I pay for my indulgences
with the sweetest indulgence
I remember You
a thousand times
neither in joy
nor in pain
I remember You for your holy self.

O Lord Hari
undeserving as I am
beautiful as You are
please let me quietly live
singing the glory of your names
in a little house by the ocean
of your pristine self
in the evening when I walk
on your silver sand
fill me with love
as I watch the Sun go down
let our tranquil life
be the only desire
that throbs in my heart
the lingering fragrance of your name
in my every thought
yes, this alone is a song
befitting my Lord…