The Stone Sanskrit Carved (Companion) (Lingam)

Lyrics

[Intro]

[Verse 1]
In the workshop on October 12th, 2017,
I take the basalt from Andhra Pradesh,
Gudimallam style, that old one from the 1st century BCE.
The companion to yoni, this lingam,
Shiva's mark, cylindrical and smooth.
I engrave it with a 4-inch iron chisel,
bought from the market in Chennai last year.
Reverend Goss watches from the door,
his hands clasped, unsure.

[Chorus]
Lingam, the stone Sanskrit carved,
paired with yoni in the dim light.
From Gudimallam temple, 5 feet tall once,
now small in my palm, generative power.
I polish with sandalwood oil, vial from 2015,
scent filling the air at 24 degrees Celsius.
Reverend, where to place them?
The shelf or the altar, hidden or shown.

[Verse 2]
The artisan unknown, but Rao wrote in 1914,
'Elements of Hindu Iconography,' page 87.
They carved with hammers of wrought iron,
in workshops thick with dust and chants.
I mimic that, chip by chip,
for Shiva's energy, masculine and still.
Yoni beside it, both on the bench,
union in stone, from the 2nd century CE.

[Bridge]
Reverend Goss paces, April 3rd morning,
says, 'The display case in the vestry?'
But the words are old, the shapes direct.
Epigraphia Indica, volume 16, 1921,
tells of offerings, milk poured at dawn.
I anoint mine with coconut from the grove,
rice scattered nearby.

[Verse 3]
The imperfection, a tiny chip on the base,
as Eck noted in 2012, 'India: A Sacred Geography.'
Human hands leave their mark,
Shiva alone perfect.
Reverend nods, unsure still,
where to set them in the church by the sea.

[Outro]
Lingam and yoni, companions etched,
in the quiet of the workshop, waiting.