A postcard from Cambodia
from the museum in Phnom-Penh
sits on my windowsill
a statue's smiling face
Lord Krishna looking more human
than godlike though his features
seem possibly too perfect
too symmetrical
no writing on the back
I must have bought it somewhere
though I have no memory of doing so
only now I learn the story
of Krishna Govardhana
how the young Krishna protected
the farming folk from Indra's wrath
sheltering them from stormy winds
and flooding rains
by lifting on his little finger
the entire Govard mountain
holding it over them
like an umbrella
until Indra at last relented
no wonder so many millions
revere this divine being
who is there among us now
with such power and such love
able to protect the poor
the tens of millions struggling
to scratch a living from the land
whose lives and livlihoods
are always under threat
from flooding rains
from droughts and hurricanes
from the violence of wars
from plagues like this one
that we're living through
sweet Lord Krishna how
the world could benefit
from your strength
your smiling presence
your benevolence!