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