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| Fresco's on the Walls of Buddha Temple in Sarnath - Varanasi |
Free Form Haiku on ‘Buddha’
___________
Bodhi tree floated, a message
Of life, in the falling leaf
On the temple floor
__
Looking at young Bhikshu sitting below
Bodhi tree smiles too
Who is Buddha?
__
In the shadow of Bodhi Tree
Young Buddha smiles
What life is?
__
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| Holy Ganges River in Himalaya |
River Song
_________
As flow of cosmic creation
She streamed down from sky
Entangled in the web of icy locks
Lovingly nestled mountain’s arms
As she flows, her young heart
Hopping, skipping and jumping
Stone to Stone
Some times in streams of unending games
Sometime turning into falls
As she grew, in warm shadows of icy peaks
She lingered in warm hugs, within watchful eyes
Softly glowing in the warmth of love,
Living, dreaming in laps of belongingness
Yet, times moves on, on and on
Slowly, she finds her way out of this intense hold
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| Holy Ganges River in Varanasi |
Out in the open fields, and in gentle sway
As icy peaks held themselves away
She flowed on and on
A life of exploring;
Fields and bathing Ghats
Bridges, bunds and floating mass
Vast as she is now, no one to hold
Her, in his strength of love
She lets loose fury of passion
As aggressive as her body flows
With lust; exploring, caressing and feeling
Edge of crumbling earth
In her entwined desires, needs
With every erosion, feeding her devouring soul
Banks don’t matter, not even the mountain
Lost long away in past
At last sun sets down on another day
Another life ends
In vastness of ocean,
No knowing; in nothingness
Of indifferent space and abysmal depths
Unquenched desired and un-quitted love
Mountains bleed tears, far away, alone
A River song – A farewell
_________
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Submitted to One Shot Wednesday: Poetry Week 21
This is beautiful. The Ganges is one of the things I really hope to see in my lifetime. This poem made me want to see it even more!
ReplyDeleteAh, Shashi, you've tied this final poem so artfully to the preceding haikus, the photos and the sense of Buddha smiling over the raw rivers of our souls. Liked it all very much.
ReplyDeleteBuddhalicious One Shot, SuziCate!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the imagery and sensations of this piece very much.
ReplyDeleteThe contrast between the river as holy water and the river as place of commerce is strong. The wonder is how it accommodates both.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your lyrical verse that moves us as the river itself moves, sometimes slowly, sometimes not.
Bodhi tree floated, a message
ReplyDeleteOf life, in the falling leaf
On the temple floor
I love where this takes me Shashi.
@Awitchtrying: Holy Ganges is also one of the life giving sourse of the living... look forward to have you here...
ReplyDelete@Hedgewitch: Thanks for your beautiful words...The soul's rawness gets softened in the rivers of meditation and spirituality... Thanks for your visit...
@Eric: Thank you. You are the one who is always there to appreciate my thoughts...
@Seenmissing: Thanks a lot for your visit...
@Maureen: The holy river Ganges is full of contrast... its pure water never gets stale when you keep it but every effulgent of the masses is dumped in it... still the beauty of the river is in purifying souls..
@Kkridge: Thanks for your words and it does take me places in my self that I have never been before...
Thanks for the visit every one.. look forward to see you all again....
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
wow shashi...forgive the pun...but a wonderful flow...and i loved the nestled arms...i have not travelled much in my life and have never been to india but your words sure brought the river alive to me...thanks for being a great support...pete
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and deep.I can feel the heart of India as I read your words.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much,Shashi.For always taking us to wonderful journeys of beautiful words,imagination and visuals.
Dear Pete...
ReplyDeleteThanks for such wonderful words.. I wish that you could visit here and give me an opportunity to host you. I have traced th course of Holy River Ganges from its origin to its end in bay of Bengal (2200 Kms) and have special affinity towards it, both spiritually as well as naturally...
Thanks again for your visit... look forward to seeing you again..
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
Dear June
ReplyDeleteThanks for your beautiful comment and I appreciate your words very much.. I am glad that you liked the journey... the river has a special place in my heart ...
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
Beautiful, Shashi....
ReplyDeleteThe haikus flowed so well into the poem. I think poets who write close to the bone of their own culture are able to give those of us outsiders a great gift: the color, feel and humanity of another culture flows into our lives in these poems.
I really enjoyed this poem....and the haikus. They were deeper...all of them....than well cobbled words and sentiment.
They were timeless.
Lady Nyo
Shashi, you truly make the Ganges come alive in your poem, first in its birthing and 'youthful' exuberance, through its 'growing' stages becoming heavier, more aggressive, until finally it meets its end in the vastness of ocean. It is the song of us all, of life, beautifully rendered by you here and in this exquisite way. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks Asobime
ReplyDeleteFor your beautiful comment.. I appreciate it so much...
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
Dear Gospel Writer
ReplyDeleteYes, I personally feel that our lives are like a river, from birth to death... and on the way, it caresses lots of other lives and living souls... attach itself to the companions and travelers, some time forming bonds of life long...
I appreciate your visit and your comment... Thanks
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
This is beautiful...haikus, poem, artwork, and the photo of the river. "Edge of crumbling earth
ReplyDeleteIn her entwined desires, needs
With every erosion, feeding her devouring soul
Banks don’t matter, not even the mountain
Lost long away in past" - really like this.
"Buddha" nice dovetail/enveloping at the end. Serene work.
ReplyDelete