Poem at Harishchandra Ghat

What have I captured? Essence of life.
Wood burns the body,
And good learn from greedy.
Earn all the money,
But you take just the piety.

Crackling the fire swallows,
Leaving just the thoughts to wallow.
To be born again;
maybe...
An ant, a cat or a tree.

Pray you find another human life,
To redeem, restore and delight.
And thus never return,
Again to a wood bed to burn.