something beautiful

god is a song half-heard in the street

a yellow lamplight Friday evening

perfect for a furtive skip-dip -

a kicked-in door, a busted bedhead -   

plenty wood to last the weekend

from somewhere down the crumbling street

of cardboard window low-rent housing -

overrun with drunks, and druggies

clustering at doors and corners

smoking 'charlie', smoking ‘ganja’-

plangent singing emanated

I nodded in time

with the slap slap slap

of a tabla backing

praises to the Deity

after endless magical minutes

the singing gave way

a honey-thick silence...

then bearded guys

in long white robes,

bobble hats, and zip-up tops,

freed rattley bikes from rusted rails,

and ghosted into winter fog

a sudden beauty had

entered our street

breathed upon it

and quietly moved on