Diwali - Festival of Lights

Shoes off

Enter holy

Glamour and sparkle of dress
Bangles
Anklets

Laughter
Jokes in Telugu
I smile

Gents one room
Ladies another
Children in the middle
We keep it that way

I honor Amma
Spoken language doesn't translate
I kiss her cheek
She understands

Food
Glorious food!
Intricate combinations of spices
Indian cooking

Tangy tamarind rice
Spicy finger cucumbers with coconut
Crunchy onion bhajis
Sour curds

Sambar
This one is special
My tongue probes the mystery
Is is dry mango?

Befuddled
I seek she who created
She laughs
It’s simple really

She unravels the mystery
My tongue still questions
Amazing

Indian sweets
The ordinary dressed up in
Ghee, cream, sugar, rose water,
Cardamom and bits of nuts

Carrots
Dal
Sooji
Bread

An Indian bride
Silk, henna and jewels...
Confectionery of pure beauty

Pride of Indian cooking
We discuss recipes
Swap ideas

We want to recreate culinary memories
That dish from that restaurant
Mama’s specialty
Scenes from childhood

Stew of ideas and memories
Stir into each dish
And me, the “foreigner”,
Became “one of us”
because “nothing is too spicy”

Kids emerge
Promise made of spewed lights
We rush into the cold night

A light spectacle
Tantalize young and old.
Gingerly I hold a sparkler
Always afraid of fire

Big Loud explosions!
Bright showers of color.
Spinning furious chameleon tops.
Flaming fireballs shoot.

The Grand Finale spirals
Rocket and Boom!
An umbrella of colored stars
Explode leaves me breathless

Smoke clears
We enter the house
Bushes are covered in jeweled lights
Our saris brush by all sparkle

We carry the light too
Lights in constellations
Bursting momentary lights
Electric lights
Candle light - serenest of all

We are lights
We reflect that Greater Light
The Creator of all lights
He whispers to us:

“Let your light shine
before others....” Matt. 5:16

He says, “I am the Light
of the world. Whoever follows
me will never walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12

I stop
Wonder
Now it is dark
He is The Light

“So we thank Thee that
darkness reminds us of light.
O Light Invisible, we give Thee Thanks
for Thy great glory.”
T. S. Eliot The Choruses from the Rock