by Megha Sood

With my shackled mind and encumbered thoughts
as my feet rise up
steps of the old mighty temple
desolate yet imbued;
with the fullness of life
my body disguised as a prayer
and my palms folded
as the dissatisfaction is neatly tucked
in the center of my palms
I count the steps
in sync with my raging heartbeats and bated breath
I walk by the neat line of the beggars and less fortunate ones
the lingering shine of the quest in their eyes aren’t different from mine
carrying the burden of life on their stooped shoulder
and heavy eyelids, they are praying too
under their muted breath
but to a god of a different origin–
which will satiate the hunger in their knotted belly
their hunger is not so different from mine
I say this to myself
as I reach the parapet and
with my warm feet on the gelid
checkered floors of the temple
resembling the mosaic of truth and the lies
weaved surreptitiously in my bleak reality
brooding with deep silence;
I face the divine with a question deep seeded
in my bleary eyes
the answers to which
I already passed by on my way here.
&
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Megha Sood

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Megha Sood is a contributing member at Free Verse Revolution, Whisper and the Roar, GoDogGoCafe, and Poetry editor at Ariel Chart and Mookychick. Over 350+ works in journals including FIVE:2: ONE, KOAN, Kissing Dynamite, Dime show review, etc. and works featured in 35 other print anthologies by the US, UK, Australian, and Canadian Press. Two-time State-level winner of the NJ Poetry Contest 2018/2019.National level poetry finalist in Poetry Matters Prize 2019, Honorable mention in Pangolin Poetry Prize 2019, Finalist in Adelaide Literary Award 2019. Works selected numerous times in Jersey City Genre Nights and Department of Cultural Affairs.

Artist: Seamless