Diwali Eve

Not lights, candles, crackers or noise,

The eve of Diwali is sweetened by kneeling spirits that light the lamp,

Deck their homes with marigold, incense and a prayerful song,

Their joyous faces filled with mirth, radiate love for their neighbours like never before,

Doors are thrown wide open, of homes and hearts,

Guests walk in uninvited and are revered as God.

Glee is shared over a delicious mithai, a laugh, a noisy cracker in the sky,

The poor do it and so do the rich, the old do it and the very young,

Walls come down, tides abate, and the divine manifests in the goodness that says,

‘Happy Diwali, friends and family, strangers and foes,

Today I have nothing but love to offer’.

The Song of the Sufi Masroof