Finish Me
Caught in your sticky grasp like a bird in a thicket
you severed my heart from attachments I once knew
and with your lolling, red tongue you did lick it.
I welcomed your wrath against my foes
until you turned the swift blade too close to home
when you and I came to warring blows.
"I want my way," said my stubborn will.
"I am grown up now, so I will decide!"
Then I strayed from love until I'd had my fill.
In a darkness beyond dark, in a profound and utter void
I was adrift at sea, as lonely as it was wide.
And I lifted my face to Heaven and cried:
"Without Thee, oh fiercesome warrior of old,
I have no anchor; I am wandering.
Return! Return will I to the fold.
And if you cut my pride, I shall surely bleed.
Better this than the life of a fool.
Come again at lightning speed,
and bring the sword that will finish me.
Mother Kali
Voo-doo
who-do
You-do
deserve it!
Say the magic words
to cast an ancient spell
feather of a mockingbird
and a rusty metal nail.
Some say she's a nerd,
some say she's from hell.
It depends on what you've heard-
others say that she's in jail.
The Hindus of old
worshiped Mother Kali
the Goddess of fright
can even make you feel jolly.
She wears her enemy's skulls
the foolhearted's folly
with her tongue she will bite,
pins and needles stab the dolly.
Mother Kali, Mother Kali,
wielding her sword
defiantly naked
as cups of blood pour.
Run as fast as your legs can flee
yet to me, your devoted child
you are my consolation,
my protector run wild.
Voo-doo
who-do
You-do
deserve it!
Mother Made of Lightning
My mother came to visit me in the night
silent and mysterious, She made me gasp.
The opposite of darkness, She is electric white light
fortunate for me She did not bring her asp.
Untouchable and terrible to those who mean you harm,
unpredictable, yet awesome if She is on your side.
To me she is a friend, though She always brings alarm.
She cannot be blamed if your circuits wind up fried.
A mother made of lightning, a bolt of beautiful death
makes sure that I'm protected
until my very last breath.
Snake Eyes
Snakes, snakes everywhere
around your waist
and in your hair
Goddesses are supposed to be
not warriors that growl and glare.
Your secret I have come to know
that God has made some women mean
who hunt down lies with arrows and a bow
but protect pure and trusting souls.
The leopard covering your skin
shows that you hunt in silent stealth.
The severed arms that reach your shins
and a garland of skulls where pearls should have been.
And the blood—oh, the gore!
Dripping from your gaping mouth,
a lolling tongue that asks for more,
it is demon's blood that you adore.
Why should I bow down in praise
and call you "Ma" like children do
when you leave me in a daze?
Because you lead me through life's crazy maze.
Not a Goddess for the weak, but the brave
who makes me say, "I can!" again and again.
Your mission is always to save
so I do not care if you misbehave.
Dancing in the graveyard—that is Ma Kali
overflowing with electric vibe,
lightning and thunder are her folly.
You make me feel so alive
with your all-seeing snake eyes.
Surrender (Haiku)
Goddess Kali loves like a mother:
thin on indulgence and thick on transforming power.
Just surrender—a mother is for life.
The Grim Reaper
She was the merciful mirror I needed
A mother made of highly polished metal
While most mothers are putting on the kettle
Kali Maa is setting me free
Not allowing me to settle.
She believes I deserve happiness and health
Divine success at lightening speed.
Unafraid to let me bleed,
She crushes my pride, a different kind of wealth.
The Grim Reaper is She.
She eats egos while building self-esteem.
Her reflection is just and picture-perfect.
While it is hard to look at my defects,
She is polishing me so that I gleam.
Death is my architect.
So that new life can take root, flourish and grow
Self-deception must be taken away.
My heart is lighter since death came to stay.
My mother is terrible and wonderful, and I've got a new glow-
because that's how Kali Maa rolls.
The Mother Made of Fire
I misunderstood the essence of you
Goddess Kali, who haunts cremation grounds
where the dead live and the living go to die
victorious over death!
You are mistress of the darkness
because you own it
and master of time because you made it.
Ever fearless in the face of threat
dancing in a frenzy atop a pile of bones
smearing the ash of strangers upon your black body
your maya entranced and fooled me,
making me shy to come closer.
A mother made of fire and fury
eating the souls of demons
drinking their blue blood and laughing.
Your liberating protection is only given
once your children have charred their egos
in the blaze of your obstinate and sure embrace.
Ma Kali,
once I surrendered my will
you arrived unbidden upon my doorstep
in all your eternal and cosmic glory.
Jai Ma Kali-
eternal victor
fiercely gracious,
my shadow
ever swooning me in your embrace,
please stay.
Unless She Grabs You
Who can know a warrior
an eternal, undefeatable foe?
The male ego forces its way
while your laugh bends steel,
and melts my defences
with a single glance.
Entranced, wanting to be closer to Ka-li,
I crawl to Her feet.
She magnetizes and protects all sincere seekers.
You are the blood that courses through my veins,
the binder, and the releaser.
Taking me beyond ancient myths,
the living, pulsating Light
leads me to the highest peak.
Few of your children will knock;
only the brave, crazy ones
who love your wild laugh and unbound hair
will scale the edge of sanity,
scrambling through the briar to find the graveyard
in which you expectantly wait, fierce and silent,
asking in a shaky voice,
"Are you my mother?"
You are a lightning strike, a live wire.
When I approach, I must remember
that this goddess is especially dreadful.
Do not take hold of Her unless She grabs you.
So protective and possessive
that nobody can get within a thousand miles of me
unless She wills it.
She is that BIG--
and I am safe, held tightly
in all six of Her weapon-clad, skull-adorned arms.