Readers' Forum
The soul’s lonely journey
Sorrowing voices,
a son, a friend,
hover round.
Words weep goodbye.
I shed and lighten,
circling above beloveds.
Withdrawing, ascending,
the scene becomes
remote.
Soaring upwards,
dwelling in strata
unfamiliar,
neither earthly
nor terrestrial.
Alone,
I review
the panorama
of my life.
I strove, I slipped,
a constant effort
to cling
to the golden path
of manashni,
gavashni,
kuneshni.
Now comes
the fourth day,
the time of reckoning.
A finite speck,
I near
the Chinvat bridge.
The gates swing open.
I wait.
My soul shrinks
and shivers,
stripped of the garments
of subterfuge.
It is sunrise
but the sun
brings no warmth.
Suddenly, the rising
reverberations
of kindred prayers
bidding my soul
farewell
cradle my spirit.
Now the three Ahuras
beckon.
Gentle Sraosa
leads me
to Rasna,
who holds
the glistening scales.
Mithra presides over
the judgment
of my soul.
I hope
for
Mazda’s heaven.
DEENAZ P. COACHBUILDER
Riverside, California, USA
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