Focus on the Lotus

Focus on the lotus
not on the mud,
the nectar is within.

Wait out this exile.
A fog hides the path,
yet at each step
the fog vanishes.

From rain to river,
from silt to salt,
from salt to the sky,
tireless, ageless,
trust its rhythm,
it wakes your thirst,
it slakes your thirst,
trust its wisdom.

You are the mud,
focus on the lotus,
the nectar is within.

(Published first in Indian Review Spring, 2012)