The Eden of Dust Kakoli Ghosh

I was God.

Living among you, useless, ethereal,

In the vacuum of faith, hatching moral.

I was glowing as a chronic torture

Worthy of attention,_

Breeding terror of confrontation.

When shadows of hell

Darken your doorstep of departure,

To your self-terror, you adhere

To my glare.

I was among you,-an illusion

Glued to the charming holy verses,

In the powerful metaphors

Of heavy-lidded saints and enchanters,

Under the minarets and domes,

Or charming god-homes,

Looking away from revelation

Toward paradise.

Confining holiness in prayers and shrines,

Incarnating trunked, and multi-limbed deities,

Life-long conflict to re-establish, renew

My ancient birth-place, but all knew

I was never born to die like you.

Million years I have spent, winged, waiting

To be as simple as your breath

To get through the barbed fence

Of rituals, convention, religion and pretence

To be of some use to you.

Perched on my sky-high effigy

I feel desolate and dizzy.

Bring me down, I want to run,and play

With your children in dirt and clay

Making mud-pies, in the dusty lane

That goes through Eden.

Set me free from

The mystery-hatching burden-

Clean me every day with your dirty children.

Unfinished