Tuesday, November 07, 2006

WHITE
(Before I forget.)
Guru parab was on Sunday,
Drumbeat, the lazy rhythm of lazim, intermittent crackers, a mad tempo
Festive!
A saint-messenger feted with burgers, savories, dry fruit
The crowd dressed in their best;polyester and stilettos,
Chanting in procession by the silver chariot.
So much of pomp and show
In memory of such a simple man.
That evening the gurudwara is quiet
Just the blanket of lights on white marble
Your footsteps echo on a winding staircase
The crowds are elsewhere.
To the chant of the shabad, forehead to the ground
So much white, dazzling
Nothing to ask for, is good too.

4 comments:

Arunima said...

nothing to ask for? as in prayers?
One of my friends once told me we are not supposed to ask but thank God and from that day onwards I have only been thanking him. i ask for strength to face each day.

austere said...

cherie- right!

arunima- lovely belief, but generally I do have a mile long wishlist..boss jara itna itna dekh lena...

GhostOfTomJoad said...

"So much of pomp and show
In memory of such a simple man"

If even half of us understood this, we'd have fewer problems in the world.

But, as they say, religion, like nostalgia, isn't what it used to be :-)

austere said...

mr ghost! right right right, ten on ten. yup, nostalgia neither. the shoot was good?