Melissa,
\nin India,
\ndo the flowers hang like coins
\non the branches?
\nCobras curl like baskets
\nin the hot dust?
\nThe Upanishad glimmer
\nin the discourse of the people?
\nDoes the West nibble
\nin the stalls of vendors
\namong plastic cups, cell phones,
\nthe smell of saffron
\nand folded saris?<\/p>\n
And what do you find
\nto put on your wrist?
\nUse to show the indelible colors
\nof the stones,
\ncollect in your pocket
\nand put on your fingers.
\nIn Nepal,
\ndoes a foggy shroud
\nhide Shangrila?<\/p>\n
Does the vastness of the Himalayas
\nbelittle the ocean?
\nDo the Yeti leave tracks
\nin the garden of the hotel?
\nAnd sherpas sign their autographs
\nfor tourists?
\nWill the faces in the sunset there,
\nexplain themselves in the sunrise here?
\nHave you found the edge
\nin your journey,
\nover the blue star of earth?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Melissa, in India, do the flowers hang like coins on the branches? Cobras curl like baskets in the hot dust? The Upanishad glimmer in the…<\/p>\n