Behold the smoke rise, in the homesteads thrice
It smells of the breaths, of the souls, breastfed
By the spirit of clay, when it gathers to splice
The cruxes of life, in the sweet earthen bread

It ain’t just grain, seared time and again
But the ethos of earth, wed to clans bred
On history of soil, with might and main
Sums-up that toil, the kind earthen bread

Pervades the elements of her holy landscape
As the damp dough thaws, on charred wood dead
Ambrosia’s birth, rejoices land, heavens agape
Redemption lies in the Godly hand, which bakes earthen bread

That kiln’s divine, love labors, soul scorches
In its very depths lie, life’s mysteries unsaid
How endures its spirit, its self it torches
To redeem life’s toll, in the cherished earthen bread

From dawns to dusks, it embodies life
Eternal play of craving’s mouth fed
Life ends one day, but with yearnings rife
It reincarnates, the immortal earthen bread

© 2015 Vikas Chandra