The Pyre Poem by rita malhotra

the pyre

sacred memories
solemn goodbyes
woven in sandalwood sticks
lend a sense of profoundness
to the burning pyre

words beneath the rising flame
reach out but lose their grasp
of the tangible
the pyre whispers regretted thoughts
and shuffled memories
to the circle of men that cluster around
death of a poem
death of a song

but this auspicious heap
of burning wood
is a fragrant mélange
of histories
a source of past's ashes
the same ash that depicts
the immortal soul
and adorns the forehead of Shiva
as an emblem of
destruction of desire
and fear of death

the hissing pyre destined
to annihilate and burn
remains a visual symbol of bliss
for
anything that destroys
is also the creator.