The Beauty of the Body of Lord Hanuman

Modern poetry modern verse contemporary poetry contemporary verse modern poem contemporary poem

A bird of prey delivered holy food for

Anjana.  Held up hands received the gift.

Her eating of it made her womb to soar

There in the forest.  Pregnancy gave lift

To birth of monkey-faced vanara, born

Of fate, not mating of a woman with a man.

The purity of this is what was borne

Up high enough make a hero, high

Enough to turn him later from a monkey to

A god.  A lonely woman’s need and sigh

Became god destiny through rendezvous.

  The ape-faced god now helps flatten out

    The worst of challenges for hands devout.

© Phillip Whidden