Banaras

In Banaras, where silk and shades coalesce,  
The humble whites stand sombrely,  
Bright glass bangles call for attention,  
While trembling hands offer ashes to the Ganges.  
Mortality stealthily permeates a spectre lurking in the dark crevices. Tired souls unite, seeking epiphany.  Empty pockets and dry eyes,  
Life and death embrace in a paradoxical dance.  
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In Banaras where archaic steps descend into antiquity,
Sworn to the secret oracle,
the Ganges meanders, imbued with tales of old,  
It rises and falls, carrying spirits upon its serpentine currents.  
Each undulation holds a story, every surge, a memory.  
The sound of the conch shell traverses the currents' cascade,  
Chronicles entwined in its aqueous tapestry. 
In this sacred setting, life moves toward its final destination.  
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In Banaras, timeworn relics reverberate through the sanctified ghats,  
When the flames of pyres touch the sky,  
Religion takes over faith,
Sighs of loss linger as juvenile emotions ask, "Why?"  
Deep in their trance, the wrinkled faces carrying the weight of wisdom stare in silence. 
Human anarchy gushes downstream, 
Blending laughter and tears with the legacy we leave behind.
Life's endless cycle represents both a beginning and an end.
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My Poem made it to the Top 100 in the www.s7poetry.com contest.