Amlanjyoti Goswami
Why Sankey Tank Fills with Light Tonight
They carry baby Ganesha
In their arms laughing
As if he too needs a vaccine.
The god of good beginnings
About to be immersed
With drum beats and firecrackers
Pilgrims travelling barefoot
Police barricading entry and exit
While I, a passing stranger
Foreigner to the local tongue
But immersed in the faith
Watch those solemn cars leave
The noise tearing away
Into the calmness of evening.
Earthen lamps await
The good god on his journey
Assuring buddhi and siddhi
In equal measure.
The line of a threshold
About to be crossed
Longing for courtyard and porch
A verandah empty of time
While distant firecrackers sparkle
The sky with fresh flowers.
People are oddly cheerful about farewells
As if this festival means life.
Perhaps they are only giving the idol away
But the real Ganesha is still around
Somewhere in the front yard, when you enter
The house with tulsi leaves
That mango tree with squirrels climbing
A closed door which opens only at sunset
When a weary man returns home
For his evening cup of tea
Looking for some spark of life
And suddenly finding, much to his surprise
What he thought was never there.