Today marks the 14th anniversary of my Father's passing. On January 5th, 1997, Dad passed away peacefully in his home. For ten years before that, and during the years since, I have dedicated myself to the consolidation and continuation of his works. It has been my joy and a very fulfilling part of my life to be thus dedicated.

As I look over my life, I can see how I made the choices that I made, took the paths that I took, sometimes without being conscious, sometimes only knowing what I did not want to do, and finally finding my place in the world by the work that I do every day.

A few months ago a lady friend called me and said: “Gita, I have been reading Torkom's poetry and find it has all the Teaching to guide me in my life. I see it is only the first volume. Where are the other volumes?”

At that time, her devoted husband lay dying. Being married for over 60 years connected the two of them in ways unimaginable to me. She was calm and collected and she read the poetry daily to get her and him through the impending crisis.

I said that yes, indeed, there are three other volumes and that I had not had the time to look at them. I wondered aloud if there really is a need for these poems to be published and could people benefit from them?

“Of course there is a need.” She said. “Poetry says everything we need to know. It is given in short, brief phrases that give us time to reflect, unencumbered with fancy words. Poetry does not cloud our mind but helps us surpass the mind so that we immediately understand what is being taught. It is the best way for me to be healed by the Teaching. It is music in words. It is direct and has deep impact. Gita, I could not get through all of this without the poetry. I could feel Torkom teaching me and helping me with every word he says.”

Then she added, “OK. If I send you the money to publish it, would you consider completing the remaining poems?”

How could I refuse? So I said fine, I would squeeze in a few poems every day, and see what happens. I know that poems do not need much editing and can be left as they are since a poet has the prerogative to say it the way he wants to say it, right or wrong, grammatical or not. It is the way it is. So, it makes my job a lot easier!

Soon after, in the beginning of November, I found out that my friend's dear husband passed away peacefully and, at the meantime, she send me the funds needed for the publishing of the poetry. I started reading the poems one by one, and soon found myself immersed in them for hours every day. I stayed in the office late and worked on the poems. I pushed myself daily and completed reading the entire three volumes, hundreds of poems, by the end of November of 2010. The poems just slid by, one by one, as if by magic carpet they flew by my eyes and I was mesmerized. As I have also been working on Torkom's Autobiography, the poetry completed an inner picture of a very special person, a truly passionate and striving man. I found how they both complemented each other.

What can I say about the way I felt as I read them? I cried, laughed, felt sad, felt elated...the whole spectrum of human thought and feeling washed over me day after day.

I found one special poem that I think you will enjoy and have posted it on the Torkom Blog for everyone's enjoyment. It is titled “My Reward” and I felt it represented vintage Torkom and in fact, vintage discipleship of any stripe, and is very fitting to be read on this very day.

And the poetry volumes? The first volume titled From My Heart Volume 1, was printed years ago, and if you have not read it, I suggest you do so to get you started in the understanding of the inner journey of an incredible man.

I am now working to input the edits for the unpublished poems and hope to have them ready for you to read as soon as possible. I think you will be thrilled to see the entire collection.

May Torkom receive the right rewards in heaven and on earth. May we all enjoy the joy of finding our own path in life and become the stewards of the universal culture of humanity.
With love and dedication,

Gita
http://www.gitasaraydarian.org/

From My Heart Volume 1
Torkom's Blog also contains poetry posts.