I once met a god

have you ever stood naked as the dawn
but huge as cosmic space
and with all the universe within you?

have you ever looked in a mirror
and seen infinity
covered in a stranger’s mask?

I once met a god
in the woods of Holland

he appeared before me
radiant and bejewelled
like Krishna
with a shining gold crown
and a kind smile

I thought of all the Indian paintings I had seen

he was inside and outside me
at the same time
and his form was both solid and clear
his appearance was brief
and his blessing short
but I have never forgotten him
though it was many years before
I revealed his secret

he hovers in my thoughts
as a gentle presence,
inexplicable and unimaginable,
but real as flesh