Poems on the wall

I am making a confession. Usually I do not believe in confession; I believe in forgiveness and illumination. Seven or eight, or perhaps even ten poems I have “copied.” Copied from where? Copied from the wall!

It was around eleven or twelve o’clock at night in Pondicherry. My brother Chitta and I stayed in the same room. We had turned off the light. He was in his bed and I was in mine. He was fast asleep. All of a sudden I saw that the room was illuminated. There was a long wall on my right side. Right near my feet was the entrance. What did I see? A full poem, in Bengali words! The poem was written on the wall, but there was no name. It was so beautiful! Then I meditated and meditated. I knew that those words had come from another world. Some poets, I have heard, have had the same experience.

I copied several poems and I claimed them. Those poems came from the poetry-world. From this world, poems or words can come into your heart or into your ear. One of the poems I still vividly remember: Srashta amar jagater jyoti. That poem came from the poetry-world.

I am sure that many, many poets have had the same kind of experience. Many, many poems, line by line, may enter into your heart, into your mind, and then you just copy them. In my case, the poems were written on the wall at night.

18 May 2005 Aspiration-Ground Jamaica, New York