Rebirth from Sage Warrior by Sonny Singh

Valarie Kaur, Sage Warrior. Part 11 “Rebirth.” One World, 2024

I have always loved the story of Mai Bhago. She was the first Sikh woman ancestor who was not defined in tradition by her relationship to the men in her life. She was not the mother of, or daughter of, or wife of the Guru. She was just Mai Bhago. A woman who devoted her life to the path. When she led the forty deserters back into battle, she became the one she was waiting for.

I always wanted to be the warrior in the story. But I am the deserter too. I am the one who wants to give up, when the fight beats me down. The Wise Woman in me allows me to rest, to breathe for a night, and then takes my hand in the morning and leads me back into the battlefield of the world. Can you choose to be reborn each night?

• Kirtan
• Punjabi
• Sikh
• South Asian
• World
• global
• Brooklyn