Diwali Again!

That was a Diwali evening!
Everything seemed so special,
The diyas didn't just light up the terraces
Or, the pillars at the main-gates of homes,
They also lit up a fond thought,
That thought of touch,
Or maybe kindled the warmth,
Like someone is around,
The one you've been waiting for.
They also brightened up the spirit
And my heart missed a beat or two,
As if I could hear someone tip-toe towards me.

The faint light of the diyas,
That Diwali evening,
Didn't aspire to disturb the dark
Of the amavasya evening,
The crackers in the distance quiet enough
For one to hear their calling,
Or, listen to the rumblings of the heart,
Or the soft hummings
That would appear from nowhere,
As you traveled back many years
And lived those sweet memories,
all over again!
The sparks in my mind
Weren't trying to assert their space,
But the sparklers didn't seem to mind -
As I was lost in a long gaze - through the dark,
And smiled, as the moments danced by!

Today is also a Diwali evening!
The decks of the tall apartments are lit again,
All too loud, and bright
With stubborn piped strips of colored light,
That didn't have a flicker
or, send out a warmth -
Made me wonder if they had a heart that beats!
There's no breeze today!
Am I missing lighting the diyas -
After being put out by a naughty whiff!
With the wired lights, does the breeze even matter?
There is a deafening sound of crackers,
Or, the tapes of china bombs,
And everyone seemed to be lost in the race,
But only to be left so lonely,
As to miss the rumbling of their hearts,
Or, the tip-toe of the memories of Diwali.
There was an unusual chill,
not because there was a nip in the air,
And as I gaze into the lifeless skies,
full of smoke and fog,
An eerie thought crosses my mind -
Am I a stranger in my own home?

© Sashikant Mohanty