Anouncheka celebrates the Festival of Lights, a time of love, joy and enlightenment, the victory of good over evil, in this poignant verse. Here’s her contribution to the special feature on Diwali, for Different Truths.

The festival of lights
The festival of love
Of new beginnings
Of redemption
Of the imposition of that which is good
Over the absurdity of that which is evil

The festival of lights
The festival of joy
Of sharing
Of renewed and sustained warmth
For those who are like us
Humans, made of flesh and blood
Souls, framed with material bodies

The festival of lights
How overwhelming
To see everyone busy
Busy in cooking
Busy in cleaning
Busy in decorating
Busy in enjoying themselves
Yes

The time to kill our own demons
Those who live in us
Those who surround us
The time to end our enmities
The time to swallow our pride
The time to allow ourselves to melt
With the sweetness of the dishes we taste
The time to open our hearts
And let the lights in
So that the Lord Himself may find in us
A true and dignified abode

The festival of lights
Time to shine
Time to remember
Yes, to remember
That life on Earth is meant to last a while
That while it shall last, it shall be a toil
That we are to brave it
Like Lord Ram
We are to brave it
To assume it and to face it

The festival of lights
How lovely to see
The night air filled with twinkling diyas
The night air filled with twinkling stars
Pray, the festival of lights has come
Come, follow me
Take in your hand a diya
And succumb to its powerful symbol!

©Anoucheka Gangabissoon

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Anoucheka Gangabissoon

Anoucheka Gangabissoon is a primary school educator in Mauritius. She writes poems and short stories on a wide range of subjects. She publishes regularly on online poetry sites and manages her own poetry blog. She has published a collection of poems in print, in her country, titled “Awakened Fancies.”

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