This submission is written in answer to the theme Fire. The poem is a journey of transformation from the gross elements to the subtle to the purity of the Self.

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An effulgent glow

Illumined the night sky

Setting ablaze the sacred hill

The perfect moon

in absolute obeisance,

The raging column of fire;

Shiva’s dance of dissolution -

A moment of profound beauty!

In that hallowed circle of light

A spark ignited, deep within

A fire of infinite tapas

Setting everything ablaze

Offerings, gross and subtle

All oblations consecrated

Purified, anointed, distilled

In that crystal water residue

A seed awakened

to unfurl and blossom

into a lotus of infinite beauty.

By Shalini Nandkeolyar

From: India