50. Closeness

On earth,
Closeness is nothing
   But physical proximity.

In Heaven,
Closeness is nothing
   But the soul's oneness,
   Conscious oneness.

In God,
Closeness is nothing
   But the song of His Self-amorous,
   Self-fulfilling Immortality.

Human closeness is
Our conscious self-giving of the "I"
   Which tells us that God is for others
      Or
   That God cannot be achieved.
      But
   God is forever and forever
For the seeker,
Who is an instrument of His.
   If the seeker
Feels that God is eternally
For the seeker,
   Only for the seeker,
Closeness on earth
Will not remain a far cry,
But will become the living breath
   Of consciousness-reality
      In the seeker's aspiration-life.
Sri Chinmoy, Beauty-Drops, Agni Press, New York, 1975