Durga Pooja Poem by Aparna Chatterjee

In the prayers of the purohit
The chanting of the mantras
The aura of the: pratima:
The fragrance of the flowers,
The flickering of the deeyas,
The redolence of the incense,
The sprinkling of the holy water,
The serving of the prasadam,

The dresses and the costumes,
The scents and the perfumes,
The flow of the music ~
The lyrics of the songs,
The beats of the drums,
The rhythms of the dances,
The prattles and the laughs,
The gaggles of those voices,

In those throngs of people,
I saw you, you and only you.

No, dear Durga Ma,
I'm sorry to say,
It wasn't you.

It was my Beloved
To whom my silence
Echoed: I love you.