Drawn to the River

I read Shusako Endo's "Deep River" - a story about a group of Japanese tourists visiting India, especially Varanasi. The book combines two of my favorite cultures and I had to say something about it :)

Sunrise touches wrinkled foreheads,
as ashes rain down in commemoration,
over the deep river, dust to water,
cast from a young one's hands.

Teachers pray, and prayers teach
Chaos inspires peace here,
with reason, comes some resonance,
of no reason at all.

A single mother flowing, glowing,
taking all's cries and tears,
with her, surely she must,
shed some of her own.

A family sits, bound together,
by the belief that such a sight exists,
and will forever remain,
as the Ganges flows through their veins.