Ferry to Ganges
M Minakshi Devi
Oh ferryman, benevolent
ferryman,
In which direction are you
heading your boat?
Are you floating towards the
Holy Ganges? May I hop on?
I seek to feel its serendipity
and divinity,
Its crisp zephyr aloft its colossal surface,
The water that will caress my fingers till it's numb.
How could I express its beauty in words?
Won't it sound much too vague?
Oh ferryman, carry me to the Ganges,
Where its ripples are resoundingly
Loud as the rolling sea.
Where I could hear the temple city bustling with chants,
Where millions throng the holy shores and mutter prayers
And take dips to atone for their worldly sins.
Of ferryman,sail with a steady beat
Until the weary engine takes me to the Ganges,
That's as old as the Vedas,
Where the dead achieve eternal salvation,
Where marigold Garland are offered seeking sanctity.
Oh Ferryman,carry me to the Ganges,
Where the disciple migrate weary footed From miles afar in pursuit of piety ,
Where pigeons take flights around the temple canopy.
Together all joyously cheered by fellow ferry passenger
And boatmen alike ere the Ganges slowly dyke in the Sea afar.