A Way of Praying in New Delhi – a poem by Mary Ellen Talley

A Way of Praying in New Delhi
	for Amit

Climb a minaret 
at the Jama Masjid mosque.
Scan the horizon for an influx
of oxygenated prayer
rolling toward each person
whose strong or weak lungs
labor on or off the sidewalks.
Consult with saints.
Say words in Yiddish or Hebrew 
if you are wailing.
Come to Shabbat on Humayun Road.
Exit and scan the horizon
for particulates of prayer,
a wishing well for your healing.
Bless yourself with shallow water,
midst of the Lotus Temple.

Ring the bell at the temple entrance
under the holy dome
of the ventilator sky.
Anticipate good karma.

Puff of air billows through a room—
please let it defeat unfair access to healing.
The cumulonimbus scurry above us all: 
Don’t sugarcoat despair,
but see how honey
and droplets of water
make a sweet syrup if you keep
stirring in heat.
Cut a lemon in half. Squeeze juice
into ginger tea. Sip and swallow.
The time zones of gods
and goddesses are elusive.

Mary Ellen Talley’s poems have appeared in many journals including Louisville Review, Deep Wild, and Trampoline as well as in multiple anthologies. Her chapbooks are: Postcards from the Lilac City from Finishing Line Press, Taking Leave from Kelsay Books, and Infusion online at Red Wolf Journal. She resides in Seattle, WA and worked for many years as a school-based speech/language pathologist (SLP.) Her website is www.maryellentalley.com.