Sacred Grove Poem by Daniel Trevelyn Joseph

We saw the sacred grove at Mawphlong,
Walked in till the edge of the Forest,
And absorbed the spirit of the Place.

Remembered Oedipus at Colonnus,
And the sacred grove there to which
His daughters lead the blind father.

Not to resist showing off, I was telling
The others about the volumes
Of The Golden Bough by Sir James Frazer.

I had read them in college, but as Probationer
In Satara District, I was amazed pleasantly
To find all the volumes in the Club-Library there.

The sacredness of the grove can be appreciated
Only after one absorbs the sacred features of
The local tradition from the elders of villages.

What every forest and tree
And soil provide cannot be
The essence of a sacred grove.