Sunrise

When the sun rises in your heart
do you need a candle?
When the Teacher appears
as your own pure awareness 
do you bow to any form?
You did not wander away
from the Friend.
The Friend came to dwell
in your body, like a pilgrim
returning home.
You stopped calling
and just opened the window
of your fontanelle.
Trillions of stars poured down
into your temple of silence.
Your spine became a still mountain.
No climber, no ascent.
Now every breath
is an ocean of grace. 
You abandon the sail,
the rudder, the boat.
Who stands on the shore
to greet you? The Magdalene.
How do you know?
Her gentle smile
is your own.
________ 

Painting: Indwelling Peace, by Sue Ellen Parker, 

which is also the cover of my book, 'Strangers & Pilgrims.'