He who went upon the waves
Of the waters before the snows fell,
Markandeya, walking, saw him then,
Narayana, Creator of stars and the glimmering dew
Of dawn,
Long
Before the worlds were made,
Before the fish could glide,
Gold and blue,
Along the glade of coral reef,
Deep in the mists,
Narayana upon the green leaf,
Floated upon the sacred song,
Upon the buoyant pipal tree,
Where has he gone,
And when,
And how to tell?
Yet he is there even now, on the open sea,
Out past the rock-cut caves,
Beyond the bear-enchanted forests,
Of the farthest, hawk-lit hill,
Where the bell tolls still,
On the echoing tide,
Narayana, child of the sea,
He is there.
Poem: © Sharon St Joan, December 2014
Photo: © Catolla | Dreamstime.com