Lotus Land

India is a lotus land, In full bloom, all white and red. We begin our days Saluting the Lord of the Day, Who rises holding a white lotus On a chariot of seven horses. Our Goddesses of Word and Wealth Are seated on lotuses, One white and the other red Oh, ours is land of lotuses. We thump our chest And say “I, I, I am the best”, Our Sage says: “That “I” is not you, Look underneath What you thump, There is a lotus, Lotus of the heart, Your sacred retreat, The divine habitat.”. India is a lotus land, In full bloom, all white and red. I was a boy in teens In my native Kerala, A land full of ponds, Who once swam a silver pool In the early morning sun To pluck a lotus For his blushful girlfriend. His feet got caught In the mesh underneath, In the netty knottiness Of intricate roots. He struggled hard to extricate Himself in anguish and panic. For the first time in life Fear of death he tasted. Lotuses all around Looked and smiled, They gave him hope And enthused him to fight. When at last the Lord Helped him back to land To hand the flower to the anxious lass, He saw bees in her lashes Hovering over red lotuses - Her blushful cheeks, And forgot all about The struggle just bygone Swinging to and fro, Between pain and smile, He grew up to learn About the six circles Of the Kundalini. Each one was a lotus again Of different number of petals, The last one on the crown In full bloom with thousand leaves Where his Ma resides As his resplendent Self. And when he slept He knew he was a pond Of countless lotuses, In full bloom, all white and red - A body of shining water With blossoms smiling all over. Oh India is a lotus land, In full bloom, all white and red, Listening to the lullaby of the stars.