The Fall (The Early Steps) ... Ruprekha Goswami Poem by Syed Ahmed Shah

A dreamlike fragrance filled
The quiet afternoon
You and I and
The Sun dipping
Like a fallen angel

Was it you or was it I
Planting in our hearts
Seedlings of the primeval
Human transgression
The first steps of the fall

Nature mesmerized by
The bodily idiom of conversation
Innocently conceives the seed
Of an unfamiliar news

In the depth of solitude
Our deepest cravings
Grew without our knowledge

In the fibers of tenderness
I still look for an answer

Why did you have to come out
On the very first call
Keeping your doors ajar

Why was there a shower of stars
On top of the Neelachal

Why did we recline on the
Knotted roots from where
Spilled over our cupped fingers,
The ethereal taste of the forbidden fruit…


(Ruprekha Goswami)

Note: Neelachal, a sacred hill, situated on the southern bank of Brahmaputra in the outskirts of Guwahati, houses the famed Kamakhya Temple. According to Hindu Mythology, the female organ of Shiva’s consort fell on that spot and became a major pilgrimage center visited by millions every year to offer Puja to the Goddess of fertility Kamakhya.