To Be A Star Up Above Poem by Anubhav Tulasi

How many days do the dead take
to settle in the celestial order as a star
I don't know really
But I'd a few captivating moments
At the side of my moribund dad —
First I saw him tearing asunder
his hair with both hands,
Next I saw him shearing off
the blood-clotted clothes
to expose his sandalwood body
beyond the skin.
Being entranced by the beauty of this body
I prayed to dad to lend me
some portion of his divinity
But he was quite nonchalant to filial fiddles
as he was passionately plucking celestial lotuses
with magnificent gestures of his fingers
That very moment destiny buried under the sands
an octogenarian boat with its oars
inscribing dad's name there
Mom and others started crying their hearts out
At its increasing intensity
the heavens were about to crash…
How many days do the dead take
to settle in the celestial order as a star
I do not know really
But the seeming glow of his eyes
as bright as the flame of the pyre lit,
left us all ignited ever after.