Musings of an Undercover Yogi

As I age, I observe
My nature is to borrow.

My body I borrow from earth and water,
Breath from the air.
Food from mother earth nourishes me,
What keeps me alive is the Sun’s fire.
Ether loans me what I call my mind,
Gravity fondly keeps me earthbound.
Subtly, the moon gifts my womanhood.
Because of menstrual cycles, I experience motherhood.

In the moonless night sky that’s my hair,
Occasional greys flash like thunderbolts.
The scales on my body remind me of
Reptiles, if only mine were as beautiful and bold!
My laughter forms laugh lines
That some call crow’s feet!
My creases and gnarls resemble
Those on trees, only way milder be it.

My veins will gradually mark attendance,
Just like those of my grandma’s.
Parts of my body will respond to gravity,
And incline southbound.
The passage of time continually
Alters all that is physical.
Reminding me of my mortal nature
And my connection with all life forms, eternal.

Living a borrowed existence inside-out,
How can I call something or someone mine?
How can I possess, dominate, or destroy
When nothing in this existence I own?
Popping in from my mother’s womb as a magical loan,
Poof! One day I’ll pop out and return to the cosmic womb.
Why then, should the time in between
Hold space for suffering and cruelty?

So like a snake sheds its skin,
Today I shed four decades behind.
To live in this moment by inclusion, not in isolation.
To exist gently and joyfully for as long as I might.
For my borrowed existence stealthily slips
Through the hourglass of time.
For this loan of life, once expired, has no renewal.
For it is a privilege to be alive!

– Bijita Dhar

Photo credit: My lovely daughter. ❤