To Live Again

In India, I felt alive
The air heavy on my skin
Full of incense and wood smoke
Bright saris and flower petals
Spicy chai and hot curry
Painted cows and pedicabs.

From Mumbai in the west 
To Madras in the east
Through pastoral, palatial Mysore
We explored
Lost in another world
Ancient, yet unknown

At the Goan shore, we discovered the Arabian Sea
On the road to Hubli, we wandered through the jungle
At the Lalitha Mahal, we mellowed into evening
On Cauvery Peak, our friends grow coffee and spices
In Santhome Basilica, our Savior rose from a lotus flower.

I carried India home with me in a wool rug and a woodcarving
A window of the Taj Mahal and the elephant god Ganesh
Surrounding me with beauty and good fortune
Beckoning me to return, to live again.