Two Poems by Amanita Sen

Bijaya Dashami Night 

 

And then one day you know 

the idol of Durga is a metaphor, 

 

for truths too vast to bear needing 

spiritual intervention. 

 

Her annual homecoming,

Her three-eyed gaze-

 

all have their roots in 

our utilitarian living. 

 

The lone lamp battling

darkness at the pandal 

 

on a Dashami night, is, for you,

the gleam of hope, for luckless souls. 

 

Though you have given up on Gods,

you cannot ignore the sting on your eyes 

 

this night brings- it teaches you of all things,

the beautiful art of letting go.

 

 

 

Bijaya Dashami- The last day of the four days of the festival of Durga Puja. On this day, the idol is taken away from the place of worship for immersion.