Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Some Images and Actions are Prayers by Ajanta Paul

 

Anna Pou

Some Images and Actions are Prayers

Every time I steep tea,

measuring tea leaves 

into the kettle and the

liquor gains an orange blush

I think of Baba sipping 

his fragrant flush,

and that image is a prayer

a silent intercession 

for his wellbeing, wherever 

he is; an invisible orison,

instinctive and natural. 

When I place lit candles

on my doorstep at Diwali,

each flame, supple and ardent 

is a reminder of a dear one

lost to the shadows.

Simple superstitions, silly habits

sometimes become unuttered 

invocations to an unseen power.

Counting stars in the evening sky,

for instance, is my ritual of vespers,

and soft autumnal breezes

my evensong of hushed voices raised in tuneful supplication. 


© Ajanta Paul


Ajanta Paul, Ph.D.

 Ajanta Paul, Ph.D., is a widely published poet, short story writer, and literary critic who was a former Principal of Women's Christian College, Kolkata. A Pushcart nominee, Ajanta has been published in journals including Capella Biannual Journal, Offcourse, The Statesman, The Wild Word, Atticus Review, and Spadina Literary Review



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Some Images and Actions are Prayers by Ajanta Paul

  Anna Pou Some Images and Actions are Prayers Every time I steep tea, measuring tea leaves  into the kettle and the liquor gains an orange ...