At dawn
A naked ascetic
Rubs cow dung ash
On his starved body,
And immerses himself
In the chill of memory,
His blue lips cogitate
On the sound of Om;
His spirit wanders in the dark distance
Of the Gangotri glacier
Seeking a Gnostic faith
In the ephemera of Gaumukh,
But he gives up in despair
And returns to the lower reaches
Of Mother Ganga
Immerses himself in its waters
Only to find liberation
In her deific embrace.
