Prayers

By Gladwin George

The bells tolled intermittently; tilak

smeared on foreheads around, all

sprawling towards the Divine in

Unconditional humility!!

She stood like a statue

her tears oozed out slowly, staring

at the deity blankly; it`s been three days

past- the periods haven`t Signaled

“Please don`t, don`t”-she recalled

her words to him, though she desired then-

The dawn of reality now, shaken

and shriveled, she whispered

“I’m a woman, too, like you,

begging not to shred my dignity”.

The one standing near her- in dire

contrast- eyes solemnly, but staunchly fixed-

dry not wet; for half a decade, her footprints

etched on the carved stones, on the same

day each month, to miss the Signal,

to feel the sprouting of the seed within!!!

By Gladwin George