Devi
Weapons gleaming in every hand,
Demon-slayer, Mother, protector,
Her eyes alive in fierce radiant power, the goddess divine.
When prayers dissolve into the silent hour,
Beast and innocent alike
rest in the arms of night.
Devi sets her weapons down,
her gaze searching the distant stars.
She treads the pliant grass in a trance, Dreaming
of her childhood home.
Bare feet scatter drops of blood red vermilion,
Her unseen marks of sacrifice
the wounds of battle
she is bound to bear
For all eternity.
Devi- Hindu mother Goddess
Soumita Bhattacharya lives in India and enjoys carving out creative hours in the middle of family responsibilities. A teacher, mother and an avid gardener, she explores themes of longing, identity and belonging in her poems , from a feminine perspective .