A Journey Under The Spiritual Shades Poem by Freni Karaluthara

A JOURNEY UNDER THE SPIRITUAL SHADES

I took a few tender rustling steps,
on the road not taken by many.
The journey grows beneath the sun and moon,
and the road lies long unexplored.
The foot-prints of many seers,
lies faded and half-faded.
I made an attempt to keep pace with them.
Every half step is interpreted in volumes.
My heart found it hard to cope with-
those mighty travel accounts.

II
Every tree I saw on wayside-
had an embracing canopy.
And each stretched its hands of shade-
to the tender steps of mine, in spiritual journey.
They protected my steps in slough of sin.
Those trees nestled me in love,
were all motherly invariable.
Each had its ravishing lullaby-
sung in chorus with the gentle breeze,
the birds of every branch,
with their nestling.
III
The tree of Faith found on a pile,
was one sheltered me first.
It nourished and trained me
to trust God's providence and care.
I carried a tang of the fruits of Faith,
in my heart and travelled like a lone wolf,
to the Tree of Hope and its unseen fruits.
It brought me up to this day,
to hope for the fruits of salvation.
I sowed a seed of Hope in my heart,
and went to the nest tree.
The Tree of love, that-
tantalized me to love God,
myself and others.
And I continued my journey.
IV
A Love-Tree, the queen tree,
kept me close to her,
to her spiritually refreshing canopy.
She smiled at me.
It flowered in my heart and soul,
in hundreds and thousands.
The spiritual flower in her,
the core of every spiritual tree,
the heart was behind all these.
The branch of love showered
up on me a thousand flowers.
The branch of mercy ten thousand,
and the one of acceptance,
another hundred thousand.
And the branches:
of the loving presence, the loving concern,
the kind admonitions, the motherly care,
each showered on me,
not thousands but uncountable flowers.
Come Mother and Mistress of Carmel,
The dame queen of heaven,
guide us to walk our way to our LORD,
under the shades of those graceful trees.