Sri Lanka

Sri Dalada Maligawa, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 1985

Waiting, Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

Waiting in line

Beside the walls and the temple

Holding the relic,

The last of Buddha’s remains

They wait.

Men in saffron robes with large umbrellas

Protecting them from the sun.

Fidgeting, giggling boys behind them, and last,

Dressed in white, with patient smiles, the women.

All wait in line.

Taking in the mountain air

Which must be a relief

From the lowland heat of their villages

They wait.

Setting out the day before

Some walking the distance in bare feet.

Others waited in another line

To board a bus or train.

Night traveling so dangerous,

While the war raged all around.

Now, they wait in line again

Having feared roadblocks and searches

Or taken a longer route

To avoid a camp of fighters.

To serenely wait,

In line,

To view the sacred tooth of Buddha.

March