When The Storms Shall Pass!

The darkness in the house

Had become so friendly

The flickering flame of the lantern

Also made peace with the new home. 

The strong gusts through the cracks in the door

Made the shadows dance in the dark

Thwarting the feeble light, sometimes;

The gentle wafts 
playing truants, at others.

As the rain kept pelting at my window

Pausing only to mercilessly batter the gritty roof,

Each resolved to beat the other -

In what has come to be an endless night of the storm.

When the lashes against the walls faded, 

And croaking sounds took over,

Another flash of lightning set the sky on fire 

With a mighty roar of thunder in the tow.

As the drumming of my heart echoed 

The clamour outside,

A voice emerged from the dark, to shroud the noise 

Darker the night, scarier the winds

Brighter will be the day, when the storms shall pass!

When the garden lost its gleam 

And the fragrance became thing of the past,

Even the walk around wasn't the same 

Without the whistling of the breeze

Or, deprived of the chirping of the robin. 

When the winds lost their sweet music,

And the branches refused to sway,

When the trees were but dead dry trunks,

Without a shade of leaves and flowers,

A fear lurked somewhere in me

Will my garden not be green again?

Lost in the strings of thoughts, 

As my tired head leaned on the window sill,

A sudden gust of breeze swept away the clouds, 

And my weary thoughts.

And the moon tossed up and down

In the dancing ripples of the lake.

In the war of hope and fate,

When sleep stealthily gathered over my worn eyes  

A frail whisper rang in a smile -

Greater the despair of autumn,

Mightier will be the joy, when winter turns home! 

© Sashikant Mohanty

Don't Insist On Leaving Tonight!

The skies are playful again,

As if to usher in excitement, 

Like someone's painted the canvas 

With the last shades of the crimson dusk. 

As if the daylight was so envious of the night,

That it has planted a few streaks deliberately.

As if there is a party,

of a few strokes of purple, 

a shiny grey, a shy turquoise blue,

a soft pink, and an effervescent yellow!

As if rest of the sky

Has chosen to be sublime 

So even the silver crescent could ring in warmth

And hope to my life,

On a late November evening -

As if there were love in the air tonight!

My heart picked the beats again,

And there is hope, to be up and about tonight.

Sitting by my window, 

As I kept soaking in the beauty outside,

And allowed the gentle wintry breeze to seep in,   

Also seeped in into my half awake mind,

Was the music of the noisy kids from the garden

Or, the chirping of the birds in the trees. 

As I tapped my fingers on the window pane,

My thoughts swept to a distant world

I didn't realize when thoughts faded into a dream.

I can't tell which came first - 

The warmth, or, the aroma of her hair,

But her fingers clasped mine in a lock,

And, drawing strength from the murmur in my heart,

I find myself humming,

Don't insist on leaving tonight!

© Sashikant Mohanty

The Vegetable Seller

She stood by the road

With a blank look at a distant nothing

Through the busy traffic

Still trying to come to terms with the present

As if to complain -  Why me!

She traced her look back at herself,

And then, at her dress -

The one she had very gently starched.

It's  crumbled and soiled now,

With a slit through the middle,

By the unruly car, that almost ran her down.

Her lips moved, but didn't utter a word

Was it that her mind was overworked

Or, was she was struggling to find an answer to -

How can I step out - tomorrow!

Her glance shifted back at the helpless cart

That lay on its side and two wheels still spinning

In the air

With the vegetables strewn over the road.

And the cement bag that'd shield the vegetables 

from the heat of the sun

Now lay in a puddle.

Her  tense mind racing from one thought to another

gave her a shock as it got stuck

And she whispered 

How do I feed my little girl tonight!

As one passer-by stopped by,

He was joined by others 

And, as they gathered 

The day's stock that lay littered on the road

Akka was gathering her courage

To deal with the blow

That left her visibly hurt.

But you could notice her zeal and the grit

As she forced a smile 

with the resolve

I've got to be strong, for my little girl!

© Sashikant Mohanty

Hang In There!

There are times,

When for many days 

And Nights,

The cold shrouds you, and the chill hurts 

Your bone.

Long days of wait,

When the Sun doesn't stride up

His celestial journeys across the horizon

And the clouds refuse to clear off

They leave you so numb,

And worn

It makes you wonder  

If this gloom shall ever pass!

But don't let go of your smile,

Or, the song in your breath,

For when the winds shall change course, 

And the silver moon take to the skies again,

She'd come looking for you 

To the same old green velvet,

To peck a soft kiss on her most loved one!

Hang in there! 

There would be days

When the waves recede the shores 

And, leave you far behind

Tucked away in the sand

And stuck deep, to even move an inch!

The longer they are away,

The more they make you weak, and frail

And an eerie thought sets in

Would I ever make it to sail!

But stay strong, and wear your smile,

Be firm inside,

For when the tides shall return,

They'll be back with just one hope 

To fetch you back to where you belong!

Hang in there!

There are days,

Weeks, sometimes months

When with the sun going down,

You force yourself to the used -

Walk up to where the stream once flowed

Sit by for hours

Scanning the pebbles, by turn

Day after day,

To be friends with them

As if to know by the smell, or the touch 

Of each pebble -

That's now bed of the dried up stream.

Don't forget the worn path to the stream,

Keep nursing the belief in you,

For when the clouds bring rain to the hills

The stream shall come rolling  

Rattling merrily over the pebbles,

She'd come looking for you 

To bring back the smile to your eyes, 

And to heart's content!

Hang in there!

© Sashikant Mohanty