I have smiled at shallow triumphs
And long mourned the loss of what I did not own
I have dwelt long in the shadow of my desires
I have constructed an ego built of my senses
And with foolish bravado fought the chimera of misery
I have looked for God in vain meditations
And reserved action for the pursuit of Mammon
I have sought love in the cravings of flesh
When love was within and all around manifest
I have played to weakness when strength beckoned
And belittled myself to myself
Enough say I, enough this night
This Holi night, as I go back millennia
People hunched around an ancient hearth
A primeval force, pure and cleansing
This bonfire of the vanities
