The Many named ONE

(To my friends who have wondered about why I have so many names...)

I am the many named One

Nay I do not remain one even in the way 

You meet me now and then

Or as and when

For like my garment, 

Many a name I don-

Just like the seasons, that wear a new look

Every few months

I do too-

Why shouldn't I 

For I am the many named One-

And no name of me is just another of my whims

In fact, each contains all and it all reflects me

There is a girl name I have 

And a woman name

I have a Hindu name now-(prateeksha)

And a Muslim name then-(saba/naheed)

To some a Sikh name it seems, (preeti)

And sometimes a Christian name I have- (michelle)

And then Hansadhwani- my vision for the world

The woman who carries the swan and all that the swan holds

I am the infinite tossing in the infinite 

And wherever I see a part of me reflected

I reflect that part at thee (and you see me in my new yet another avatar)

I become a whole universe here

And there I become a little atom.

Then the many roles I perform

You call them different names, don't you?

For one a daughter, another a sister, a friend

A teacher, or an artist, a poet or a scientist...

When you see me in so many roles

Why should I just have ONE name

When they have their own special names too?

I am the multi-hued one, 

The singer who sings in three languages

The poet who writes in another one and the teacher ...

The dreamer, the gardener, the cook, the composer,

The dog pack leader, the guide, the friend

Who speaks another

And all my languages converge to become one complete

Unending flow- Tis the flow of love (preet)

And nay it is not love of one kind only

In it flows my entire being, my soul, my world

And all that is a part of my world-including you

In it I occasionally take a deep breath and dive down

To come up and see myself coloured in yet another hue

There was once a blue, now a green, now a sunny yellow

Just as there have been greyest of dawns and darkest of nights

And I still hide them in my numerous folds

With so many colours, hues and shades to me

How can I just remain One name?

Daughter of the heavens, you call by so many names

Just like my divine origin (as much as your own, though you may have forgotten of it)

And they are all me- prateeksha, preeti, saba, naheed, cymbal, michelle,hansadhwani...

Lightly as I tread the world

Lightly a new garment I don

Lightly a new name I take

Brightly my smile I flash 

And yet nothing is light at all

For a deep thought goes into it all-

Every light step that I take

So now you know when you see me in another avatar

That I am the many named ONE

And all contain me

And despite it all, though serious I maybe

I am still the lightest, the one filled with mirth

The one who flows quietly, peacefully 

Anchored at last internally.

Dated: 30th June 2012