"That which cannot be perceived by the eye,
but by which the eye is perceived."
                                              -Kena Upanishad
                                   

Each moment is a memory, an old bronze bell
with a belt of esoteric glyphs wrapped around
its big green belly.

Wooden steps wet with fog embracing trees;
a woman's hunched over, as if fallen asleep.

Cushions have been modeled into vaginas with ears;
the Great Goddess herself is listening to the silence
in a temple that's survived Buddhism, Judaism,
Christianity, Islam, and last year's fire,
with only a slight musty smell
lingering.

The woman rises with what did she see?
Flowers, icons, the portrait of a saint
hidden behind a woven screen?

Everything's hidden,
one way or another.

 

 

bell: “The Earth's entire atmosphere vibrates like a giant bell, with various large-scale resonant waves travelling in both directions around the globe. That is the conclusion of scientists in Japan and the US, who have confirmed a nearly two-centuries-old hypothesis of atmospheric resonance.” I. Randell, “Earth’s Atmosphere Rings Like a Giant Bell, Researchers Say." Physics World, 24 July 2020.