Proxy Prayer

When you were so near
I hardly ever
bothered to step out and enter
your majestic realm
for a prayer;
nor did I care ever
to let the breeze inside my home
that breathed of you in full gear;
nor once bother
my eyes to peer at you, my dear
when you were manifest,
benevolent at your best.
I was immersed all through
in my own care and cheer
as far from you
as you were near.

Now
when I am banished from there
and out of bounds from anywhere,
there is a great upsurge
inside me, everywhere,
a craving to merge with you
and be near.

Till you call me back
to your altar,
I seek you my lord
through a proxy prayer
by an erstwhile friend, a worthy seer,
who, when he returns to his lair
in the city of Srinagar,
will pay you homage and my prayer,
which please accept,
my forgiving lord, my dearest dear.