The thing about practicing at Brahma muhurtham
the 'time of god' three hours before sunrise
is that by the time I am finished
I step outside to cool undisturbed air
stars still overhead in the pre-dawn twilight
distant chanting and prayers
ringing in surround sound through the neighborhood
only the occasional tuktuk or far off train or dog barking
hint at a city on the verge of waking.
And then, almost in one fell swoop
the darkness gives way
to the tangerine and violet rising of the sun
pushing back that impenetrable stillness
that only moments before rang out
from the center of my chest like church bells,
now an echo of a dream I dare to remember
as a deep sapphire sky fades to bluish white
ushering in the chaos and cacophony
of another crazy beautiful (extra)ordinary day
in the madhouse that is India,
the motherland that cracks hearts open
and pours in the light...
ॐ असतो मा सद्गमय ।
तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।
मृत्योर्माऽमृतं गमय ।
ॐ शान्ति: शान्ति: शान्ति: ॥
