Manikarnika Ghat, Varanasi
The eternal flame burns here
since before time began
since before the advent of writing
& anybody who is anybody
wants to be cremated at Manikarnika Ghat
in Varanasi, India
on the black terraced steps
stretching up from the cool green Ganga River
Bodies are burnt
big & small
young & old
day & night
until there is nothing
but glowing ashes
at first the corpse is wrapped in glittery gold cloth
& gently placed upon well stacked wood
with cries of: Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram!
then immediate families
heads shaved
wearing only seamless white cloth
mourn silently
watching the flames devour ears, fingers, toes, arms, legs
sweaty men use bamboo poles to poke & prod
the burning body's wayward limbs
& sometime fold them in half
to keep the burning blob contained
& finally as the ashes are pushed into the Ganga
dark men slosh around in the thick black primordial ooze
looking for gold jewelry or stray coins of the dead
monolithic stacks of wood
surround the burning grounds like a fortress
the primeval fortress of Yama the god of Death
Manikarnika's name comes from a deep pool
behind the flaming pyres
where Shiva's wife Sati's jewel earring fell
as he carried her lifeless burning body
from South India to Tibet
& in the small temple above an old man rings bells
& lights camphor offerings
to an ancient Shiva lingam
& beside that is the round red sandstone observation deck
built by the British
where idle men take naps
& play cards
& drink cheap whiskey
& above that is a four story building
where Allen Ginsberg fed a banana to a wild monkey
early in the morning in 1961
& behind that is an alley where Peter Orlovsky
bathed & fed a dying leper
& on this sacred mandala
countless thousands of Mahasiddhas & yogis
sat still
& meditated on the temporary nature of life
& every year in monsoon time
the mighty green Ganga swells
& rises 100 feet
sweeping away all the ashes
all the lives
& the eternal flame must be carried
in a copper pot
up to the top terrace
where death still takes place
every day
rain or shine.
Happiness
I don't want to get married
I don't want to join the army
I don't want to wave any flag
I don't want to be president
or rule the world
or to be the king of curiosities
I don't want to expand the empire
I don't want to take away anyone's rights
I don't want to steal anyone's thunder
I don't want to be the most famous
or the richest man on Earth
I don't want to live forever
I don't want a six pack, a facelift, or botox
I don't want to hate anyone who hates me
I don't want everyone to love me
I just want everyone to be happy
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