forgotten

i wonder if behind your stoic gaze
i will find fire like your saffron robe
or coldness not unlike ancient statues
carved out of silent and defiant stones

if I stare long enough
and be quiet long enough
and listen well enough

will I glimpse the fierce spirit beneath the calm
hear the real voice within the chants
divine inner longings within the prayers
long obscured and forgotten
by ascetic rituals and discipline

-Happy Ballesteros-Raagas