To live on nothing

phantasmagoric spiritual ecstasy
having transcended this world
he started living among gated community

had madly dressed in torn loin clothes
his unkept hair,
long beard reaching chest

mad mendicant
often referred to as crazy for his hippie
manners, mannerisms
picked any food, good, bad, stale
or from the wastebin
relished whatever came his way

slept in the burial place
near the burning pyre
used a discarded wreath as pillow
stretching his hands and legs to flame
to wade away the cold
brewed his morning coffee
from the cinder of burned bodies
lit his cigarette from smoking twig

stray dogs slept with him
kept company
often owls trumpeted their presence
with three sixty degree rotating heads
bulging fearful red glowing eyes
shadow of moonlit
silhouette of cactus ferns

one dark moon day
she came with her long matted hair
bloody red eyes, long tongue out
gate keeper of death and dead
the goddess of death
tried to wake him up, did her best to scare him off
the saint did not budge
fearless detached ‘rishi’ had no fear

surprisedly pleased the goddes of death
offered him a boon
but he refused and went to sleep
having nothing to gain from this world
pietist scolded her off

on insistance from Kaali he agreed for a boon
just let her switched his
elephantiasis from right leg to the left
blissful happy man to live on nothing
philosophy of spirituality