Translated from the Hindi by Kartikay Agarwal
Stones they wrap
in loincloths,
they dress up shrubs
in ghaghras & chunaris.
Woods, mountains,
the open sky — in their bare
nakedness — aggravate them,
so they find ways
to rejoice in vulgar traditions.
They gild the deities
with jewellery,
and the temples
they bless
with conditioned air.
Many such ways
to put God
in place.
Naresh Saxena (born 1939) is a Hindi poet from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. His poetry is notable for brevity and he is well-known for recitations.
Kartikay Agarwal is a 27-year-old bilingual Indian poet living in Mumbai, who forever finds his voice traversing between English and Hindustani. His original work has featured in Narrow Road Journal, The Alipore Post, deCenter Magazine, gulmohur quarterly, and Jaggery; while a translation was featured in The Usawa Literary Review.