If I’ve learned anything,
if the years of schooling and the degrees have done me any good,
if the stacks of books that have passed before my eyes shed any light,
it’s the recognition of the ubiquity of darkness,
&
of the fact
that it’s better to learn to cautiously navigate the cave
than to pretend there’s no darkness.
Taken on November 29, 2020 at Kudalasangama.
There was a great wrestler from Mexico
who went by the name “el Comando.”
His mask was quite garish.
His tactics nightmarish.
He’s the least stealthy soldier of Mexico.
Taken on November 29, 2020 in Bijapur (Vijayapura)
This is the second largest unsupported dome in the world (after St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City.)
I
seas churn
under darkened skies
raindrops arrive
pelting the sandy shore
with wind-blown violence
II
the rocky shore
becomes a fierce fountain
as wave water
hits and shoots skyward
to be blown sideways
III
this storm lingers
as metaphorical storms
are known to do
natural storms are
always in motion
I found the catacombs, below
my mind’s deepest basement level,
searching for secrets in shadows.
Up top, my tracks were writ in snow,
and wet prints through keeps, medieval,
’til I found the catacombs below.
What would I find down there, who knows?
Let’s hope not some home-grown devil.
Searching for secrets in the shadows
isn’t work for weak and weary souls.
Don’t know how I ‘massed the mettle
to find the catacombs, below.
I felt the torment and the throes
of one who’s become bedeviled,
searching for secrets in shadows.
I saw highs and lows — thorns and rose,
but never had time to revel.
I found the catacombs below,
searching out secrets in shadows.
There was an Orangutan from Malaysia
who dreamed of leaving Southeast Asia.
“Sure, I’d love to linger,
but it’s hard being ginger
when you live deep in the heart of Asia.”
Taken in Aihole on November 28, 2020.
Ancient Agonies
abound
Written boldly
on our
souls
Cold chiseled
into the architecture
of one’s mind,
a mind rife with
desire
for things that
it does not know.
Taken on November 28, 2020 at Mahakuteshwara Mandir.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 