Saraswati.  Goddess of knowledge.  Goddess of wisdom.  Goddess of knowing.

Somewhere in the vast darkness grows her gifts of light.

She offers us gifts of creation.  Gifts of true wisdom.

And so, Saraswati reveals herself to me.

She sat by my side.  She introduced herself.

I made a polite gesture and smiled.

I sat for a long time.  I listened to the chatter

and soon I forgot she was there.

Every now and then, I’d look up.

I’d look out the window, I’d glance at the door.

Unsure of myself, unsure of others.

And waiting…waiting for something…something more.

Saraswati, she sat patiently, it simply wasn’t time.

I was everywhere, and I was nowhere.

Lost in darkness.  Lost in the stories,

And suddenly afraid to feel…anything anymore.

And as I fell, I fell to the floor,

Broken into a million tiny pieces…………………..

But before I could give up, before I could give in,

Saraswati reached down and gave me her hand.

One by one, she picked up each piece of me

And made me remember the pain.

Together, we walked through each memory,

And this time, with clarity, I became whole again.

Saraswati looked at me and gently said,

“My gifts have always been there.

There, within you.  Within each experience

Jewels of wisdom exist, and now you are aware.

And as she held my hand, she placed in it a mirror, a key.

A key to reflect back at me, a friend.

An awakened soul, surrounded by love,

Surrounded by light, and never to be lost again.

(A poem by V as inspired by the Southtown Yoga Loft Awakening Soul Teacher Training Program, Class of 2015)