Second Avatar, Two

Earl Pascoe,
Entering Shiva Nataraja

We listen for the beating of his drum –
We listen very closely for that sound
We know is there within our worldly hum
In every place: beneath, above, around.
For any place is every place, the centre –
Around, above, beneath, within, it’s there
In every place and any place, to enter
The omphalos, the Tandava; it’s here:
Don’t fear the circling fires of his place –
Don’t fear the warlike cobra, for his coils
Are there for you, are there for that embrace
That leads you near his treasure, for his spoils
Lie just beyond the serpent’s venomed bite
Where peace, nirvana, leads you out of sight.