Nirmala: Love is What You Are

I may think love destroys me, but it is love that sets me free. ~ Nirmala

Every moment of your entire life has been an experience of the flow of awareness and love to something. Even when love isn’t being experienced, there isn’t any less love; there is just less of the outward flow or expression. The source is still here in all its glory. Love is not only for giving, it is what you are…

I may think I feel love,
but it is love that feels me,
constantly testing the woven fibers
that enclose and protect my heart
with a searing flame
that allows no illusion of separation.

and as the insubstantial fabric of my inner fortress
is peeled away by the persistent fire,
I desperately try to save some charred remains
by escaping into one more dream of passion.
I may think I can find love,
but it is love that finds me.

meanwhile, love becomes patient and lies in wait,
its undying embers gently glowing,
and even if I now turn and grasp
after the source of warmth,
I end up cold and empty-handed.
I may think I can possess love,
but it is love that possesses me.

and finally, I am consumed
for love has flared into an engulfing blaze
that takes everything
and gives nothing in return.
I may think love destroys me,
but it is love that sets me free.

Text and the poem are from Nirmala’s book Living from the Heart. You may download a FREE PDF copy of Living from the Heart courtesy of Free Spiritual Ebooks, also available from Nirmala’s website.