And Then... Poem by Leonard Dabydeen

and then it came into view

as if it had roots

among the stones and boulders

slithering in silent meandering

towards my broken path



and then slowly in awe

I laid my clayed goblet

of water dipped from the Ganges

on the bedrock

where my naked feet held firm

as if they, too, wanted to make root



and then the cobra lifted its head

with tongue darting

and eyes riveting

as if transmitting a message

into my frightful brain

its shimmering body exuding

majestic power at the edge

of the fissure divide



and then as if the heavens

made friends with the enigmatic quake

a twister with stormy wind

dusted the fissure

like a mirage



and then as the dust

settled in my mind

the cobra slowly

moved down the opening

only to rise again

wrapped in sanctity

around the neck of Lord Shiva



and then I clasped my hands

in solemn prayer

celebrating Maha Shivaratri

unscathed by evil in my destiny.