THE MOUNT

by Antonio Gomes, MD



A pile of red earth
with mango groves
and cashew trees,
fruits of dazzling yellow,
orange, red and green, amid
murmurs of ruffling leaves
on which is a chapel
where god lives.

There, on the Mount,
We spent our evenings
romanced, picked wild berries
laughed and pranked.

There, we strummed
our Spanish guitars,
and sang "Igreja de Santa Cruz,"
the "Coimbra Fado,"
and many others.

A Maina, a monkey
atop a mango tree
listened attentively.

At dusk, as
guitar chords intermingled
with sounds
of distant church bells,
the crimson sun
plunged its dying rays
onto the figure of Christ:
the sword thrust.

Notes::  The Mount is located in the village of Loutolim, in Goa, India.
Igreja de Santa Cruz, (Church of the Holy Cross) and 'Coimbra', are
Fados, which are traditional Portuguese love songs, with a melancholy
touch to them.