Light-Chorus
©August 11th, 2018
By Vijaya Sundaram
To be free
To be air
To be light
I dream of this
Every day, every night.
How can I explain it?
This longing?
I’ve yearned for it since
I looked deep into the heart of trees,
Since I saw the sun in the veins of leaves,
And heard bird-songs in the sky above them.
As a child, beneath a tamarind tree,
Looking up, I dreamed I would
Vanish like a dewdrop
In the heat of day.
This desire is urgent, like
A hand around my wrist,
Pulling me forward.
This world is too much to bear,
And yet, so plangent with delight.
Sorrow has no place here.
I brush it away with my broom,
And sweep aside cirrus clouds,
As I climb steadily up.
There are other places,
Sacred, full of ancient tongues,
I will join their song.
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