Shanti Girl

Shanti Girl got up one morning,
meditated for a bit
and then decided to walk into town

Softly she stepped,
as quietly as a Japanese girl,
and mindfully she spoke
with the folk she encountered
along the way

♫ ♫ ♫

Off in the distance
Shanti Girl heard a quarrel,
so she slowly made her way
in that direction

♫ ♫ ♫

Her silent presence
among the quarrelers
had a calming effect on them,
and soon they began to speak
in a gentle tone

And when the conflict
had been resolved,
Shanti Girl continued on her way

♫ ♫ ♫

At a sidewalk tea stall
Shanti Girl noticed
a woman sitting forlornly

Across from the woman she sat down
on a little wooden chair,
took the woman’s hand
and held it
for a while

♫ ♫ ♫

Are you Shanti Girl?

Yes,
but I prefer to be called Shanti

Thank you, Shanti
I’m Anusha
And I’m fine now
Thank you

And so Shanti leaned over
and whispered into the woman’s ear,
May today be the best day of your life
Then she rose
and wandered on down the lane

♫ ♫ ♫

Please,
let’s be shanti for a moment,
said Shanti calmly to a man
who was complaining about some drama in his life
There is another way
of looking at things
Let’s remain silent,
close our eyes
and carefully observe
for a little while

Okay

And so Shanti and the man
sat quietly,
closed their eyes
and observed
for a while

♫ ♫ ♫

You must be Super Shanti

Please, call me Shanti

Thank you, Shanti
I see things more clearly now

Shanti gave the man a hug
and then meandered on down the road

♫ ♫ ♫

An old woman sat crying on a curb,
so Shanti sat down next to her
and held her hand,
and then she began to sing
an evening raga

The old woman stopped crying,
and soon she too
began to sing the evening raga

Everyone nearby
stopped what they were doing
and listened
to the most divine music
they had ever heard before

♫ ♫ ♫

And soon a group of musicians came along
with a sitar, tanpura, tabla
and a slide guitar
They joined Shanti and the old woman,
and played
for a little while

♫ ♫ ♫

The musicians brought
the raga to an end,
and then they continued
on their way

And when they were again alone,
the old woman said,
Thank you, Shanti
The last time I sang,
I was a little girl

You sing well, friend
and beautifully
May you sing every day

And then Shanti ,
humming softly,
flowed on down the road

♫ ♫ ♫

Why worry about so many things?
said Shanti to a man she had found
sitting on a park bench
I haven’t had an emergency
in over twenty years,
and drama has disappeared from my life
Do less,
be mindful
and be compassionate
Your life will take care of itself

Perhaps you’re right, he said
Maybe I could relax a bit more
Thank you, Shanti

You’re welcome
And may tonight be the best night of your life

And yours

And then Shanti got up
and walked on down the path

♫ ♫ ♫

An angry young man
stood outside The Shanti Club

They kicked me out,
he complained

Cool down
Cool the story down,
Shanti replied
See yourself in the show
Detach yourself from your role,
take a step back,
be quiet
and observe what’s going on
inside and out

The young man sat down
and closed his eyes
Shanti placed her hand on his shoulder
and Anger returned
to the form of a seed,
waiting
to see if the young man would water it again

♫ ♫ ♫

Shall we go in?
I’m not sure they’ll let me

They will
You’re shanti now

Okay

And so into The Shanti Club they went,
and then they danced,
flowing gently with the vibe,
for a while

♫ ♫ ♫