Three poems about a city that dwells in all who dwell in it. Here, even the present is ancient and Ganga becomes an everyday myth. Once the abode of the gods, it바카라™s a city that washes away people바카라™s sins.Â
Behrupiya
A man emerges from the waters,
leaving his entirety
as if to Ganga.
There is no loincloth to cover his shame,
or the lack of it 바카라”
He sits then on the ghats,
master of all he surveys 바카라”
Truth and lies merge,
minute by minute,
he becomes God
and his incarnate.
*Behrupiya: A performer, who changes his identity throughout his performance.
Manikarnika
Manikarnika sits pretty,
surrounded by flowers,
chants, and the dead.
A visitor asks,
Where is Benaras,
take me there 바카라”
There바카라™s someone burning again 바카라”
Yonder in Manikarnika, Benaras burns every day,
the cry of yet another, already on its way.
The curse keeps its promise,
one by one, they all burn.
First man, then flesh,
and then man바카라™s history
of falsity.Â
People become bone collectors here 바카라”
lies strewn like ash across the Ganga.
Dust settles soon,
on dust
while Manikarnika sings 바카라˜Hare Ram Hare Ram',
all night long.
Ganga
I met Ganga today 바카라”
still, amazing,
complex and terrifying.
Hidden in gentle laps,
a Shiva, a Krishna, a Kal Bhairav.
Somewhere there is a sacred dance,
Shiva and his linga grow on us.
Ganga becomes an everyday myth 바카라”
On other days,
a strange political crux
overshadowed by living heroes.
An inexplicable water.
(Maitreyee B Chowdhury is a poet and writer. She has four books to her credit, including 바카라˜Where Even The Present Is Ancient: Benaras바카라™. She is editor of 바카라˜The Bangalore Review바카라™, a literary journal.)
