Poem – Light a Candle

Light a candle in your dark room.
It is dangerous to move about in darkness,
Which hides the beautiful vases,
The Japanese scrolls, the Moghul miniatures.
Darkness conceals the odes of Hafiz,
The sublime poetry of Valmiki.
Is it still dark? Is not the light of one candle adequate?
Then light another candle, and yet another.
Kindle the flame of love in your heart,
And feed it with the oil of Knowledge.
There are stars, Universes of peace and beauty;
There are moons more beautiful
than the one that sails in the sky;
There is the Lotus of Immortality.
Kindle the flame of love in the chamber of your heart;
Light the taper of earnest quest,
And create the light of discrimination.
No beasts, however dangerous, approach a fire in the forest.
No serpents of passion, pythons of attachment
Or scorpions of unrequited love, will dare come near you
When there is light in your mind.

H.P.S.