Chant

after Ammar Aziz

At dawn and dusk, my father
becomes a chant, that flies above
the courtyard of the old house
by the river, where only the men
recite Sanskrit prayers by lamplight,
as though in a divine trance,
to Gayatri, consort of the twilight sun.

Do they glimpse the goddess
in flecks of light that fall
into the lap of darkness?

Do they mimic the timbre
of the stars that ride on
the back of the earth woman?

What prayers are these, hymns
to a goddess incarnate in a mantra,
hymns that shut out real women?

Indian born Usha Kishore is a British poet and translator, resident on the Isle of Man. Usha is widely published and has authored three collections of poetry (the latest being Immigrant , Eyewear 2018). She recently completed her PhD in Postcolonial Poetry with Edinburgh Napier University.  www.ushakishore.co.uk

Note: The Gayatri mantra is a Hindu hymn chanted during twilight hours to the goddess, who personifies the mantra.