POETRY

Radiant Path

 by Lisa Francesca

Where I worship they have built a radiant path: 

ten signposts wind through well-kept grounds. 

Red-roofed, partly plaster, partly wood 

each one gently whispers to the soul: 

God is ever-present, in God we are one; 

Let us live as mindfully as we can.
The first says, Be as gentle as you can 

and harm no other creature in your path 

in thought or action, for we live as one. 

The next says, Make the truth your ground 

in every word you write or speak. With these two, a soul 

could navigate through any darkened wood. 
The third says kindly, Think of common good, 

take nothing past your portion, if you can, 

for stealing only robs from your own soul. 

The next warns: God walks with us on this path, 

stay moderate and poised on holy grounds – 

excess can make the strongest come undone.
The fifth reminds, Be attached to none! 

Release your claws with care from how you would 

have things be. Take life on its own grounds 

and you’ll be happier. Keep as clean as you can 

in body, thought, and deed, for on the path 

less is better, says the sixth, for your soul.
Even better is the contented soul, 

mildly contends the seventh one: 

live simply; gratitude will flower your path. 

Eight: Pray and meditate. As fire heats wood 

persistence heats your potential. You can 

follow Self and live on higher grounds.
Inquiry, says the ninth, lays a rich ground 

for insight, while study of scripture and poetry feed the soul. 

And the tenth, surrendering to God, can 

sound too hard—but your, “Thy will be done” 

lays firmly down, like humble planks of wood 

that make a dock, support for your own path.
Firmly on these grounds, any seeking soul can 

walk the path, wooed by the Beloved One.

The Radiant Path, a contemplative path for walking 

meditation is located in the Meditation Gardens at 

CSE Headquarters and is open to the public from 

dawn to dusk each day of the year. For more informa-

tion visit www.CSEcenter.org

Lisa Francesca has attended 
CSE since 2001, and enjoyed 
her first Kriya Yoga confer-
ence last year. Following a 
career in corporate writing, 
she is currently a full-time MFA 
student in Creative Writing 
at San Jose State University. 
Lisa lives in Campbell with her 
husband, Mark Baumann.

Lisa’s poem is in the form 
of a sestina. The sestina is 
attributed to 12th century 
poet, Arnaut Daniel, and was 
popularized by Dante, Kipling, 
and Ezra Pound. Although a 
sestina is a highly structured 
form consisting of six stanzas 
and ending in a tercet (three 
lines) or a couplet (two lines), 
its key distinction is an intri-
cate pattern of repetition of 
the six words ending the last 
line of each stanza. There are 
many variations of the form 
and modern poets take liber-
ties with the original, strict 
structure.
—Parthenia Kavita Hicks