The Flame Without Flesh

a poem by Todd Gibson February 2026

Vulture-Fed Yogi,
flicker in the smoke,
Gravefire Baba,
Himalayan Ghost.

The Silent One,
Cave-Dweller,
Keeper of the Fire.

Forest Grandfather,
Ash-Smeared Elder,
Riverbank Sage,
Old Banyan,
Dust-Foot,
the Wandering Flame.

Rudra Baba of Shiva,
Ganga Hermit,
Smoky Rishi,
Agni Walker,
Himalaya Ghost,
the Ash King.

Lord of the Last Ember,
Pyre-Watcher,
Bone-Ash Father,
Smoke-Drinker,
Skull-Bearing Wanderer,
Night of the Banyan.

The One Who Sleeps Among the Dead,
Ash-Eyed Maharaj,
Cinder Prophet.

Gravefire Baba—
Unblinking Ascetic,
Charred Silence,
Flame Without Flesh,
Rib-Cage Saint,
Corpse-Side Hermit,
Whisper Beneath the Pyre—

He Who Smears Himself
With ashes in the End