sermon of the baphomet

it was a warm September night. it had been rainy in the afternoon, but had stopped by the evening. Anish sat by the river alone. the parades had all ended, and the paraders had all left hours ago. there wouldn’t be any more for a few weeks. absent the drums and the fanfare, it felt even quieter.\nthe moon peeked and hid behind the clouds. he stared absently at the Ganesh idols. they kept swimming through the current, their long supply courtesy of the cityfolk upstream. they were accompanied by garlands, loose leaves, and other prayerstuffs. he wondered what exactly he was feeling in the moment. was it a religious melancholy – the exhaustion of a festival well celebrated? it was that for sure, but there was also something else.\n