The Seed of Life and Death

I hear the chanting of hymns and the cymbals sound as they lay you on the ground
covering your body with layers of sand

and offering in your maidam flowery garland.

The Sun every morning will gently kiss

and I will, like a dry river-bed, miss

the water that pumped life
into the mortal veins of my life.
The seed to lead a life of solitude now grows in my womb
and a tiny, green leafy plant by the side of your tomb.

Your Presence in your Absence

Where do I search thee?

in the sun’s rays that fall on me,

in the wide, open fields and the tree(s),

in the gentle, silent breeze,

in the high mountains clad in snow,

in the gurgling waters of the rivers and streams,

in my thoughts, prayers and dreams,

in the best of the four seasons,

in my love for you which was for no reasons.

In your presence and even in your absence, it is pure.

Wherever you are up there, do be sure.

My love and devotion for you was true

I will live my life, if not for me, but for you.

Dawn

Twilight marks the beginning of darkness

But light and life sets in with the birth of dawn

The person loved most is best buried in the heart

And thy name in the sacred earth.

Your Invisible Touch

Come and hold me as the waves hold the sands in the sea,

  Come and shine me as the stars shine the night sky,

     Come and kiss me as the rain kisses the parched earth in summer.

Come and be within me,

  Come and give life to me,

     with your invisible touch!

An Ode to my Cousin, Arunabh

Like the flowers in a garden,

Like the waters in an ocean,

Like the stars in the sky . . .

Like the withered leaves in autumn,

Like the sands in the desert,

Like the glaciers in the mountains . . .

Like the trees in a forest,

Like the birds in their nest

Like ‘the person’ in my heart . . . I miss you.

You are no mirror to reflect,

You are no shadow to follow,

You are no person of flesh and blood . . . but I miss you.