Mahashivaratri/ Ashoka Blooms/ The Asthi-Kalasha/ Pinda-Dana/ Shivaratri, The Night Of Shiva Poem by Bijay Kant Dubey

Mahashivaratri

The Night of Shiva,
What to say about
And how to say it?

The myths of Shiva,
The Divine Wedding,
How to say about the pair?

Ashoka Blooms

The ashoka blooms,
Orange-yellow and red
Making it lovelier
With the clusters
Bedecking the branches
Of the tree.

The Asthi-Kalasha

Containing the ashes
Of mine,
How long will it keep
Dangling by the river bank
Peepul tree?

Pinda-Dana

Give you some dana
For my panda,
Food to the soul,
Water to the wanderer!

A handful of food and water
For the bereaved soul,
The departed spirit
On the return journey!

Shivaratri, The Night of Shiva

Shivaratri,
The Night of Shiva,
How will it,
How will it be
The Night,
The Night of Shiva?

How would it,
Would it be
The groom coming,
The Divine Groom?

How the Divine Wedding,
Who in His party,
How the fellows,
Human or supernatural beings?

The groom on a bull
In rudraksha rosary
And bracelets
And in the tiger loin cloth
And with a kamanadala and a trishula?

A yogi,
A sadhu,
A fakra
With the neck bluish
And the snake rounded off.

The women to receive and greet
Aghast to see the bridegroom
In an ascetic attire,
In tiger loin cloth, rudraksha
And with a strange following.