The Road from Manali to Amristar
Layers of India are peeling off,
And I see deeper into "the game".
Street kids who read minds,
And holy hot springs too scalding to enter.
In the cold nights of the Himalayas,
I dream about past lovers,
And I create my future.
A one way ticket to my destiny.
Fellow tourists commiserating about the cauldron of emotions that bubble on the buses and trains.
Sad to leave but ready to go.
Unexplained tears roll down my cheeks.
How exhilarating it is
on the dirty, dusty
16-hour local bus to the next City.
When Infinite possibilities lie ahead.
alone again,
to be reborn,
To be FREE.
If only we could remember
this is Truth in every moment...
There's something that happens
around hour 11 of the 16 hour bus ride,
After the teenage boy vomited several times,
And many have been standing the entire ride,
And a flat tire at midnight that took 1 hour and a dozen Indians to fix...
The I's on this overcrowded bus melt
Into one collective.
We are ONE energy.
now I can feel everyone's eyelids heavy from lack of sleep,
Not just my own.
We bounce from the bumps on the road in unison.
Over the potholes together now,
I am no longer a tourist.
I am part of this lovely Indian heartbeat
on the trail from Manali to Amristar.
This strong heart that still smiles and laughs
On hour 11 of this 16 hour journey.
And I realize that I am amongst Buddhas.
A prelude to Amritsar,
Golden Temple of Oneness.
Tears trickle down my face again
This time from sheer beauty.
A prayer or two matches each thali plate
filled with love
and cleaned from Seva,
pure service.
My heart is open
From the utter magnificence,
the uncanny resonance,
And the sweet Parshan
That I share
With everyONE.
Thank you Mother India,
for reminding me in the most unexpected of moments.
At 1am on the winding road
from Manali to amritsar.
And for leading me to this holy Temple
made of love and gold.
