The great wheel of Dharma
spins incessantly
drums rend the earth and heavens
mendicants pray for alms
pigeons feed on scattered corn
visitors click endless images
Cosmic mandalas adorn windows
handicrafts, Bodhisatvas in all avatars
Monks meditate in maroon robes.
Wearing a gleaming white robe
I sit at the centre
safeguarding Buddha’s relics
My eyes —
benevolent and wise
bless the cosmos
heal the diseased
ease the suffering.
Bio: Abhay K. is an Indian poet-diplomat. He is the author of two memoirs and five collections of poems. He has been awarded the SAARC Literary Award 2013 and nominated for the Pushcart Prize 2013. His poems have appeared in leading literary journals in India, Russia, UK, and USA and have been translated into Irish, Russian, Italian, Nepali, Hindi and Chinese. His most recent collection of poems The Seduction of Delhi was published by Bloomsbury India. He is the editor of CAPITALS — an anthology on the national capital cities of the world. The SAARC Song penned by him has paved way towards an official SAARC Anthem. His call for an official Earth Anthem has been lauded by UNESCO and supported by the Habitat for Humanity. http://www.abhayk.com.
This poem forms part of a larger sequence about various heritage sites in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Image Credit: Boudhanath Stupa – Kathmandu, Nepal. Source: http://www.mysticxpressions.com
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