The River Confluence Poem by Jagannath rao Adukuri

On the river bed three holy rivers meet
Two of them are in the minds of people
The third is a streak of undammed water
The holy men and shop people celebrate
The confluence with drums and money jingle
Their minds meet with surprising cohesion
Aided by a loud-mouthed movie song
Holy fires are lit and naked bodies bathed
Head over water, palms cupped against sun
The holy men gyrate to prayer songs
Sung in kitschy styles of Mumbai pop,
Their bodies smeared with ash, hair in mat
The politician duly makes his touristy speech
There is everything at this holy confluence
Of religion, commerce and people politics
With only the collective conscious missing.