by Ramprasad Sen
All right, you crazy woman,
Get down off the Great Lord’s chest!
Shiva’s not dead; He’s simply
The Master Yogi meditating.
But poison has weakened Him,
He can’t bear the force of your feet, Mother.
Now get down before His ribs cave in—
Oh Shiva’s Woman, You’re pitiless, pitiless.
He drank poison and survived,
Why should He die now?
Ramprasad thinks He’s playing dead
Just to have Your feet touching Him.
—from Grace and Mercy in Her Wild Hair, by Leonard Nathan and Clinton Seely
The Cosmic Mother 