At the famous Kamakhya temple in Assam, there is no image of the 
Goddess, but in the depths of the shrine there is a yoni shaped cleft in the 
rock. A natural spring within the rock keeps the cleft moist. At the first 
burst of the monsoon, there is great celebration, for the water runs red 
with iron oxide, and the ritual drink is symbolic of the rajas or ritu of 
Devi, her sacred menstrual blood.” 
- Ajit Mookerjee, Kali: The Feminine Force 
 

As soon 
as they came 
clots of culture and shame descended 
slapping, wrapping 
an abundance of stops 

behind all the walls 
I lay, 
trapped 
in cotton and pause 

the soft monsoon ripened 
mango buds bore fruit 
impossibly sweet 

my deluge 
was unbearably sharp 
a new moon raging 
a womanwound aching 
a twisted red rose 
flooded with thorns