☛ We are inviting submission in the field of literature and literary theory in the form of article, book review, poem, short story, travelogue and interview for our regular April issue (Vol. 6, No. 2). The last date for submission is 31 March, 2025.

Mahakaal

 


Mahakaal

Ram Krishna Singh (India) 

 

So many times I chanted the prayer

from childhood to now that I forget

what I pray for or want, repeating 

mantras while walking at dusk or seeing

images on the lingam that stir

the flame Shiva harnesses deep within

 

my numbed feet stop before growling dogs

trained to ignore strangers whose lips don't utter

their names or who aren't free in leash like them

I fail to filter the chasing darkness

from roadside temple to Sarna Enclave