Her Consummation on the Pyre

 
On the pyre she lies,
    Swaddled with white linen;
Scents of sweetness surround her
     Rising to touch the sky;
They expand in their movement
     Hoping to embrace this sacred space of nature.

Flowers encircle her lifeless body
     Forming an aura of stillness and mystery;
Sighs and cries pervade the space
     Desecrating the holiness of the silence;

 Sympathizers gather to pay their last respect to a friend
     Wearing their long faces with dignity and pride;
 They bemoan the fate that stares them with dispassion:
     A road all must tread to leave this theatre of existence.

Children of fire wait patiently for their feast,
     Grateful for this sumptuous meal from Mother Nature;
They dance with delights in their eyes,
     Beaming with intensity of desire;
They sing songs of fire and light of their realm
     As taught to them by their ancient ones.

The wind is not left out in this sacred ceremony
     Shushing and moving gracefully in space;
It glides with a sensitivity to the temperament of the gathering;
     A solemnity of honour from its part.

Light blue and white colours decorate the sky;
     Clouds of myriad shapes and sizes hover above;
The roof of the earthly temple is beautifully adorned
     As the sun watches and blazes with love
To enrich and honour this moment.

Even water was respectful to this occasion
     Instructing her dark clouds and rain to be far from here;
Forcefully shutting the gates to prevent their presence
     Permitting only shiny clouds that were not loose with their mouths.

Fire lights up the pyre with excitement
     And the flame sings the songs of cracks, pops and snaps;
Crashes and bangs thunder in the ambience
     As the flame grows in size and ferocity,
Heating and raising the temperature of this sacred space
     In this consummation of fire and her body.

In time,
     All become ashes;
 Mound of dusts today
     Plain of sand tomorrow.

©SS (Sam Sung)