To Fear and Not
By Ananda Vrindavan devi dasi
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Fear is the illusion of this world and our body
And the journey into an animal birth
so close we are to creaturehood
Yet to step inside means
to stop the way we can ask
Such questions as to why we fear.
The consequences of our actions.
Offending others, especially those devoted to
Helping us cross the ocean of birth and death.
Suffering and pain, for myself and others.
Depression and the downward cycle of self.
Fear and what it makes us think of others.
Do not fear
Death, as we do not die
Eternity, even as the great unknown
Life, in all it’s complicated ways
Love, for what it asks us to do
Detachment, and let it hold us
Forgiveness, and the act of letting go
Acceptance, of things we don’t want
Fear, as it will always be there
We become fearless, not without fear
But with holding on to Krishna
The big hand we grasp as we walk
In our life and face the stairs
We have fallen down or climbed before
Feel the fear as we look at it
Then hold onto the railing and walk the steps
Fearlessness is holding on to a greater love
A steady hand, a stronger arm
Fearlessness is never alone
Ananda Vrindavan is one of my dearest friends. In addition to being a beautiful poet, she is the community president of ISKCON of DC. Please visit their website at iskconofdc.org Her poems regularly appear on our Urban Devi website. -- Rukmini