Where the Soul Finds Its Shore

By Aprajita Rai

Have you known a place where silence sings

And peace descends on common things

The hum of streets, though thronged and loud

Seems wrapped in calm, by faith endowed

The Ganga stirs — her silver curls

Unravel songs when sun unfurls

Tea steam ascends like whispered prayer

While dreams and dust drift everywhere

At Vishwanath’s abode, bells softly blend

Where prayers begin, and doubts find end

In every gaze, a kindness gleams

As though the city breathes in dreams

Oh, those boat rides where white cranes glide

Where mortal heart meets sacred tide

Each ripple hums of lives once known

Each sigh returns to the soul’s own home

And when the Aarti flames the sky

Its golden chant makes shadows fly

Here death dissolves, yet life feels near

For heaven itself has lingered here

I found myself upon her shore 

My heart, my breath, forevermore

Who needs a paradise elsewhere

When Banaras breathes its peace in air.

By Aprajita Rai