Evening Raga

by Ahila Sambamoorthy

Originally published on February 1, 1999

It is the dark half of the lunar month
a silver gloaming illumes hills of marble
and the amber afterglow of thunder and lightning
There’s magic in the veena
singing of an ageless cosmic romance
Krishna and Radha
and the delirious freedom of the night world
her head filled with the redolence of coriander blossoms
jasmine and sandalwood
In the mango grove branches groan [...]