acceptance
...I remain here with you
Because the wind is cold outside.
And where else could I go.
Life's a long lonely road, besides.
It's just the human's lot
Like birds who must live in pairs
Like animals who must have their lairs,
I too need a mate...
.....
I was very inspiredto be able to follow this spiritual practitioner to the deepestand most private corners of Her being. The reader finds Her inlove and passionate; in despair as well as in happiness, whenthe spirit gloriously shines to when the mind is engulfed by thefire of passion. I could feel the seemingly endless and dramaticinner struggle between ignorance and enlightenment, between theupward struggle of righteousness and the downward pull of enticement.I no longer see the model of spiritual asceticism that leavesone desiccated due to abstinence as being correct for spiritualpractitioners. On the contrary, I have seen clearly a refreshinglynew image which is bright, innocent, and full of life. The poetrefers to matters, that are normally seen as prohibited, in acarefree manner; mentions former loves with tranquillity; talksof passion with a pure heart; recalls all the sadness with a heartthat is no longer sad; and talks of past despairs with a heartfull of hope. This positive, relaxed and uninhibited attitudesurely can only exist when a spiritual practitioner has reachedthe pinnacle of enlightenment. No reader can avoid the heart-wrenchingemotion when reading of the poet's uncertainty as She faces thestruggle between staying with Her husband and renouncing the world.Thu Phong
