Mani Rao

• Five-Word Poem
  

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Those love cannot leave alone
Love those, cannot leave alone
Cannot love, leave those alone
Leave those, cannot love alone
Those cannot leave love alone

Mani Rao is the author of twelve collections of poetry and three books in translation. Poetry titles include Love Me In A Hurry (Atta Galatta 2022), Sing to Me (Recent Work, 2019) and Echolocation (Math Paper Press, 2014). Her books in translation from Sanskrit mediate between ancient India and today—the canonical Bhagavad Gita, Saundarya Lahari, the esoteric hymn to Shakti (both by HarperCollins) and the poetry and plays of Kalidasa (AlephBooks). After studying literature in the early 80’s Madras, she earned her bread and preserve as an advertising and television professional for two decades in Mumbai, New Zealand and Hong Kong. A resetting of life-goals led her back to the world of learning-- she then did an MFA from UNLV and a PhD in Religious Studies from Duke University. Researching mantra experience in tantric communities, she discovered new mantras and continuing revelations for Living Mantra: Mantra, Deities and Visionary Experience (Cham Springer, 2019). She lives in Bangalore with her parents and partner with whom she enjoys traveling off the beaten track.

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