A Visit To Thiruchendur Poem by Indira Renganathan

Niceties of November rains
In a lordly remote touch
Brought in guests
Who took me on a state-highway
That was anew greenish afresh
Paddy-sided right and left
In big puddles but tanked
That the grey sky puffed bulky
Very willingly was duplicating itself
To which betwixt sunshine peering
In a play of hide and seek
Upsetting the watchful Ayyanar
All which His evidential horse
In silent neigh signalled, reported
That other village-deities spared
In secret enjoyment but in open escorting
In divine drizzles then and there
And new, new visiting birds
In total rejoicing coo-cooing colourful
On rhapsodic trees swaying in dancing plies
While the rainy breeze rollickingly caressing me
I lost myself in a different world...

But approaching sea-roaring
Brought me back diligent
To step into the Lord's abode
Ramping up and down, up and down
Through the cramming swampy crowd
Unto Lord Muruga's feet
Which beat back once the conceited tsunami,
Like the defeated three demons aeons back
Alike even this soul be conquered
I held the Lord's feet tight in full surrender
But as Matter mattered much I left my soul there
Just to return with this stale body
And started spinning around the precincts
With my heart and mind once, twice, thrice
In restarts of abrupt slokha-recitation
And when my soulless feet got fatigued
Transient me on sudden realisation..
Where are the accompanied guests...?
And almost on a fall I sat o' Muruga...
Just to hear prompt that moment
From the godly tower an utterance
From a beautiful peacock in unfurled dancing
An unsyllabled cry but voicing special
'Searching the Truth...? '
To which unanswered my heart pondering on still
Though I joined the guests on return journey