from the space
between my ribs:
FLAMES
i begin to burn
pray the fire be gentle
psychedelic heat
distorts
engulfs
melts precious western personal space requirements
sacred temple rises through layers of existence to reality's center
sacred toothless beggars squat crooked in sacred cowpies
sacred lingams for sale only 250 rupees
("okay, okay, i give for 200 best price")
sacred yellow rickshaws honking sacred Disney dee-diddly-dee-BOOP-boop honks
filling lungs with sacred exhaust
sacred monkeys scamper sacred temple powerlines snicker
at me
compressed sidewaysbackforward
molded to 1000 anxious pilgrims
born through the breathless canal
not knowing if direction is life or death
fire rises
skin drips
glimpse so brief
god of all things hot
coal black
marigold wreathed
bell strikes dissonance
ashes refuse gossip
pray the fire be gentle
Dear Sara,
ReplyDeleteI pray that you are well. The fire sounds like illness. Please do take care of yourself.
Mama
This was writeten in Tiruvannamalai, one of the five elemental cities of Shiva. Here Shiva is worshipped as fire. So though of course i've had my share of the India sickie blues, this was more about the internal transformation/rebirth that I was feeling in this town.
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