my darling

O my darling beauty
nothing nothing in the world
can ever keep me from You
for when You smile like that
sweet salvation dripping
as dew from the corner
of your doe eyes
something shifts inside

The sandalwood tilakam shines
like the Moon
and the vermillion mark blazes
like the Sun
the ardh-chandra between the two
O Mother is your child’s undoing
the radiance on your face
my eyes cannot take
I’m burning in the fire
of your unearthly radiance

The red drape cascading
down your supple limbs
flow like a river meandering
through a dark valley
of stunning heights
O Devi now I know
why You are the beloved
of Shiva
the consort of Vishnu
and the darling Mother
of a trillion universes

Mother Your beauty is a balm
the sharp bridge of your nose
those shapely nostrils
adorned with solitaires daze me
Your lips like wine
and teeth like pearls
make the child in me want
to reach out and touch
Your fair cheeks
soft as the finest silk

The tiara on your head
white and red
oh how do I tear my gaze
away from your enchanting face
garlands of orchids
form the perfect necklace around
your most slender neck
O great beauty of all beauties
You are the darling of three worlds

Bhagwan maybe my first love
but You O Mother
are that part of my soul
without which I’m an empty shell
a soulless being
there are no words Mother
to propitiate You
or to declare my undying love
for your approval I’m willing
to move mountains

You’ve loved me when none could
held me when I was all alone
now here You are with me
night and day
a mere touch away
as a woman knows her man
and a child her mother
I know You Divine Mother
as my salvation
Your feet are never far away
from my mind
often I curl there like a child
O my dazzling darling beauty
please keep your soft gaze on me
for all times to come.