I have only recollections
Of Kodachadri and other hills
All rapt in clouds
And gods’ embrace.
I am lost among them
I am in their fresh chlorophyll thick
Air, meandering stream
And the lone temple touching the sky.

I remember the untouched earth
And it’s monastic quietude
The sites captured on minds’ map
As we trekked you and I
On the gravel
And the muddy path
The steep downs and unending climb.

Today everything is still,
The laughter, the voices, the camera flashes
And all else,
As we trudged between dawn and dusk
You and I.