Annapurna in the air

 

There’s Annapurna in the air today,

Blue skies a mountain boon,

Crisp the smell of crushed pine leaves,

But I, a faraway afternoon.

That white outline is a blessing, you see

Not many can feel its pull,

While fewer turn to pilgrims still,

The altar’s seen by a mere handful.

And those who see, are forever lost,

In a divine world, their own,

When close, you live a thousand lives,

When far, you breathe a secret mourn.

But even in that melancholy,

You are never really far,

You close your eyes and see Her stand

Shining down a thousand star

Made more divine than a mortal soul,

That journey made you pure,

Don’t you see it broke all bonds?

That you don’t need, at all a cure?

And thus it is for all the shrines,

Annapurna or Trishul,

Kailash, Nilkanth, the Nanda peaks - 

The eyes a sacred teary pool

A smile returns, the truth it dawns

And the pilgrim finds his way,

You can be far, but you always see -

Annapurna in the air today…

16th October, 2020