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blessing
July 2007 
Slice of India
Maria
The same year I came to America, 1997, I also visited India with my (now ex-) boyfriend. He was interested in Sri Aurobindo and he wanted me to check out Auroville, an intentional community in the South dedicated to Aurobindo’s principles to see if we might want to move there (I didn’t want to). India is the most amazing country I have ever been in. You can’t understand it with your mind. It’s a country where you have to surrender otherwise you might be killed in a traffic accident.
Remember: Poems should be read out loud!
SLICE OF INDIA
I bend down and hand them
a bag of potato chips.
The bundle of bodies
begins to stir.
It unfolds as a woman,
a man, and two
serious children.
The woman speaks harshly to me.
A fresh scar
marks her belly,
as if a sword had sliced her.
The man looks tired,
the children are dirty.
They live on the sidewalk.
A blanket sprawls beneath them.
A steel pot and some cups are
the borders of their territory,
lined on the far end by
a ragged brown dog who surrenders
to four puppies sucking her dry.
Next to the curb a small rivulet runs slowly.
Street people squat within sight.
While I stand there,
inhaling the chaos,
of Pondicherry,
an elephant
with painted ornaments
on his gentle face
moves majestically past me
touching my crown with his trunk
in blessing.
Access: Public
Very beautiful, and visual, Miss Maria G. I really liked the ending segment, which shifted the poem from the gritty reality of street life, to the gentle almost mystical. I could picture the slow side to side sway of the elephant as he moved by.
Delightful. Insightful. And deep. Just like the poet who wrote it.
I love the ending lines. The elephant- the gentleness of his face- the trunk- your crown - It really paints a picture and a feeling of comfort and warmth. Thanks Maria.
Why is it, do you think, I was fortunate enough to be born in the USA, living a life of luxury and comfort with my family of four in a home of twelve rooms, while this family of four lives a life of poverty in a blanket on a sidewalk. It just doesn't seem very fair. I've never been a great understander of the concept of 'karma' but it is the only thing that even begins to make sense.
Thank you, Maria, for striking a note of gratitude within my soul. I am so blessed, and have no reason whatsoever not to be happy and enjoy:)