THIS DIWALI
BINDU
This Diwali
let me walk back
down the road
that leads to my father’s house
and let those fireworks,
the singing cartwheels, the joyous sparklers,
and the rockets,
that lit the years of my childhood
now light this bare threshold
that I started out from
I have wandered long enough
though at every turn
welcoming hands
offered me bed and supper
I could not stay for long
I forget now
what I sought
so eagerly then
Let me just trim
this brief wick of life again
and light a candle
one, for each year that I missed.
All that I have left, all that I now seek
is my self
Let this clear Diwali flame
burn all else.