In Adoration of the Lord

I go through life adoring you, O God,
In whatsoever form you may appear;
You are the owner, whether far or near,
Of every form and shape of clay and clod.
You shine in radiance, or in lambent flame;
Or in the dusky airy form of light;
Or in the sham and shape of fear and fright,
You are the being, holder of the frame.

You are the fairy fragrance in the flower;
Indweller everywhere, you are the tree,
As also you are spirit in the knower;
You are the mighty mover of the sea,
In stone, or wood, or flesh, or air, or fire,
You are the sole essential lordly sire.

But you are more than all the things that are;
More than the universe and all there is
For you are Being, Consciousness, and Bliss
You are not just the radiance of a star;
You are not just the fragrance of a flower;
You are not just remembrance of a mind;
You are not just delight of any kind,
You are Existence, Consciousness, and Power.

For you are Love that none can circums­cribe;
And you are Joy that nothing can exhaust;
And you are Grace nobody can describe;
And you are Mercy, endless and uncaused!
You are a Being, worshipful and kind,
You are beyond all stars and worlds combined!

So we prefer to call you “Father”: word
So simple and so sweet, it makes us feel
We do not have to bow and bend and kneel;
But rather, lovingly and not absurd,
Embrace you, kiss you soft, and undeterred,
Lay our tired spirits on your lap, and heal
Our wounds there, and like children cry, appeal.
Thus: crying to our Father is preferred.

And so we call you, Baba sweet;
Dear Baba, dearest Baba, Father, wise
Your wondrous name we endlessly repeat;
And by your name enable us to rise
Above our littleness, and realize
We, too, are children of your paradise.

—Benito F. Reyes, California.
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, Feb 1991