~the sacred and the ascetic -in four parts

I

 

 

echos whispers through the Himalayas

in colors of browns and greens

sacred caves ..with voices of their own

Aum whispers from each stone...

thin men with untrimmed nails

seldom seen..yet felt

sleeping on tiger skins..in  mountains

 cobras bow their heads

as  holy feet touch down

on sacred ground

the sound is one

of drumming and esoteric vibrations

 through these ancient hills

ochre robes fall loosely

from boney arms

pilgrimmages made by scarce few who

return with stories  told of those

the ascetics who live

on air and   .......light

fighting for  transendence

skin, bone and essence

rocky eminence on the slopes

private austerities ..hope for those

existing in deprivation

  ....in the world below

 

 

 

 

II

behold the crucified Christ

 borne aloft by six wings

in this moment of seraphic ecstasy

heavenly visions ..spirit yielding  peace

sweet calm heralding the forthcoming storm

the stigmata forms

reborn the mystic...the ascetic

lamenting for union with the divine

the essence of sanctity

jasmine rises wafting 

through ancient halls

gatherings in circles chanting

within enclosed walls

venerable brethren

exalting lives of solitude

Constantinople and eastward

 into the upper Mesopotamia valley

penance and prayer

..lives of separation

secured eternal liberation

   ...on stylites

remembered throughout history

....with veneration

 

 

 

iii

hand in hand

we gaze up at starlit skies

constellations serving as guides

finding heaven in one another's eyes

for a moment..

standing in Indigo and silent reveries

seeking out mysteries

hand touches thigh

union merges and subsides

in sighs  ...and release to re-enjoin

the profane becomes sacred

ascendent in preparation

to re-embark on separation

we are the Sun... in form

individuated and reborn..

 

iv

behold the mourning dove

 ..in the end remains..

       only Love...

 

 

(c)  Katherine Wyatt 2010