Shanta Acharya

It took centuries
the journey from cipher,
invisible wedge, thing of no importance to zero, point of reckoning –
piece of the unknown fathomed,
being counted, standing solidly
three dimensional, banishing mystery altering lives forever,
establishing one’s significance
in space, time, trade, science,
lending the world order,
measuring phenomena,
not just the freezing point of water, creating certainty,
holding things together.

Shunya, vessel taking the shape
of whatever is poured into it,
godlike, containing everything and nothing – pregnant with possibility,
poised between positive, negative,
life and death,
vanishing point, knowing infinity,
drawing down divinity,
reflecting sum of the universe,
reducing all to Itself, always transforming...