Kundalini Splendor

The Follower

I gave up wife and child
to come to this place.

Now I sit here
with a straight back
and a loin cloth
as I say my mantras,
even the ones
I composed,
that just came.

A bit of rice
now and then for food,
recitation of sacred passages
for the master to hear.

Long walks
by the river,
the ground
to sleep on.

He tells me
that such austerities
will purify the soul,
bring the spirit
to enlightenment and joy.

Sometimes when I
am sitting
under the stars,
 their radiance
warms my heart,
and I feel something strange
open in my chest,
as if I were being kissed
by an unknown love.

I wait to see,
do not tell him.
He knows the way.
I must listen in silence
as he gives me more repetitions
and twisted moves,
more cold nights,
till I reach my goal.

Dorothy Walters
February 20, 2020