The Dance of Shiva-- A Poem by Paresh

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The Dance of Shiva

 

 

 

A Poem by Paresh

 

It is the Age of Darkness...

In his 28th incarnation, Lord Shiva

walks through an archway of torches

through dark corridors into the center of the earth

a halo of fire around his head

lighting the way like a miners' lamp

leaving footprints that glow in the dark,

waiting to be filled someday

by the masters who will follow

 

Shiva closes his eyes and the sun goes out

holds his breath and all of the creatures fall dead

covers his ears and the universe goes silent

not a water drop

not a heartbeat

not a sound from a songbird in any of the 4 corners

 

Shiva swallows the stars until they burn like coals through his eyes

his outline glows against the night sky like an eclipse of the sun

and sparks follow each of his movements like a shower of meteors

 

He lights up the sky with the Aurora

comets appear before dawn

he showers the earth with hot rocks that make the seas bubble and boil

 

He walks on full moon nights through broken temples covered with prayers in

Sanskrit

through crumbling arches overrun with immense fig trees

and guarded by a cobra

 

Shiva hides behind Pluto in the dark recesses of the 7th galaxy

he greets us at death in that quiet place that is faint in our memories

that place that has always been there but we can't quite remember

 

When you cross that bridge to the other world, open the door and step through

step through the stars, swim through the Milky Way,

touch the very boundaries of the universe

 

and then...it is the Age of Awakening

 

On the Night of Shiva, as creation awaited,

the drum sounded and music awoke the vast silence with the vibration of om

and brought the universe into existence

Covered with ashes and pale blue in color,

Shiva sustains the universe through practice of austerities

He takes the first step and the world begins to spin

until the momentum of its own force keeps it in motion

rivers flow from the Nile to the Ganges and pour into the ocean

and trees turn from green to gold to bare branch a thousand times a day

 

And the dance begins...

 

The primal energy infuses everything and nature awakens

flowers bloom, waterfalls tumble into immense canyons,

and the animals evolve as consciousness races back to its source

 

Shiva reveals his secret to Matseyendra - Lord of the Fishes

the secret of the ages, the secret of yoga

and then turns into a statue at Kayavarohan,

awaiting discovery someday by one who seeks awakening

 

Awakening happens only in the next world, the next, and then the next

but the promise of awakening is here and now

and without the promise, there is only cold and darkness

 

But Shiva remains hiding just out of sight

he reveals himself last - if ever

for to discover Shiva is to understand the mystery that has no answer

 

So we create myths: Stonehenge, the Elephant Caves, pyramids,

Abu Simbel, the riddle of the Sphynx, the lost cities - Angkor Wat, Machu

Piccu,

Copan...

how were they built, and why?

it's quite simple - like Shiva, they have been there since the beginning

 

And the dance goes on even though worlds collide,

the sun burns out and the universe freezes

it just awaits the next step

 

Lord of the Other Universe - the One Beyond - Hari Om!

 

The dance begins

Dance continues

Dance never ends