This is my favorite poem by Sri Chinmoy. If I had to choose just one poem, it would be this one. It is from volume 16 of “The Golden Boat,” published in 1974.
“When I aspire,
God honours me.
He tells the world
That I am His fond child,
I am His choice instrument.
“When I do not aspire,
He also honours me.
He tells the world
That I am His future choice,
I am His future voice.
I shall embody His future Race,
I shall reveal His future Face.”
As for a brief bio:
“My name is Mahiruha Klein, and I am a cashier at a health food store in Chicago. I enjoy sharing with my customers the poetry of Sri Chinmoy, Wallace Stevens, Adrienne Rich and William Butler Yeats. Last year I committed one thousand poems by Sri Chinmoy to memory, from his “Golden Boat” series and I recited them at the Impossibility-Challenger forum in the Hague, the Netherlands. Sri Chinmoy’s poetry has transformed my life and greatly expanded my vision of what I can accomplish in life.” –Mahiruha
Also, here is a link to a story about Mahiruha and his poetry: https://www.srichinmoycentre.