Christmas Revisited

Christmas brings to life memories galore,

Of days of practice 

For the Christmas Carols in school,

And the after-school meets, the weekend rehearsals

For Christmas plays at YMCA

Swarms of rich memories - 
Of the short warm days, as well

And the chill winter evenings 
Spent in the thick of friends!

How beautiful

The childhood years

When we could laugh out loud

And grin ear to ear.

It still brings in a smile, 

And an impatient urge 
To rush back to those days

When we'd set out for friends',

Visit neighbours and teachers

With hand-crafted cards, 

And heaps of wishes!

Priceless were those days,
Priceless those bonds,
Priceless the fresh smell 

Of the cakes, 

The nuts and fries,
Such was being home

You'd not bat an eyelid to think

Whether to take a bite!

How I miss Christmas

Where to a friend's home

There was no odd hour,

And to friends heart,

The distance never too long!

The more I think, the more I miss,

The unhindered banter 

Uninhibited, unadulterated 

On endless days!
Naive some might say

How I wish

To live them again,

Be home for Christmas

Spend another lazy afternoon with friends

Where even unspoken words are valued,

Where time doesn't seem to be in a hurry
All that matters are
Unspelt feelings,

Unspoiled joys

A loud hearty laugh, in years

And a warm, friendly banter!

 © Sashikant Mohanty

Wish Upon A Star

I stood still by my window, 

Sight sealed on my muse, without a wink.

When the sky was in a cusp,

Between the horizon blushing, with it's orangish skirting,

And another horizon glowing

As the lights came up on from the rows of houses;

Like scumbling of shades off an artist’s brush

Of milky white, warm yellow, amber and a rani pink!

As the transient beauty was still soaking in, 

It rang in a fleeting thought

If I could wish upon a star,

Wouldn't it be to freeze this very moment?

If there is one portrait, I'd indulge in,

It's the walk down the freshly tarred road,

Over a dense carpet of gulmohars and golden showers,

And the warm beams of slant sun rays, 

Wading across the thick canopy of red and yellow, 

It's about the warmth of touch, 

With your hand locked in mine 

Firm, but gentle enough to set free at will,

Soft yet firm enough to be fiercely assuring

Or, the joy of having your steps join mine

When the seas turn wild, and the waves merciless.

If there is a silent prayer

I'd whisper a thousand times, every day,

It is for the gentle warmth of the moon,

Where you don't realize 

when moments ran into hours,

When the moonlight bleached my balcony, 

Where sweet memories were created, 

Of long unending conversations,

With unsaid words,

And speechless looks!

If there is a fond dream

That visits me in sleep, every night, 

And sometimes, through my day, 

It's for your firm shoulders to lean on 

When mine grow a bit heavy or weary,

Those gleaming eyes that come looking for mine,

The comforting words that don't leave your lips,

Those infectious smiles, that give life a fresh meaning

That give me a new reason 

To go a bit farther

Every time!

And then, there are those days,

When I dread to face me in the mirror.

I steal a few moments to be by me,

And let the tears be.

They are welcome as well
As they brought back the warmth to my eyes,
And got the smile back on you!

© Sashikant Mohanty

Once Upon a Winter Evening

the rumbling of tracks across the lake

pierced the silence

of a rainy dark evening,

the blaring of the horn

ushered in another train and 

a sheet of hope to comfort my tired heart.

between the lull and
the clanking of the couplings,

i was lost in some distant thought,

that moonless december sky! 

everything seemed so familiar
with another beautiful evening -

the chill, the rumbling of tracks,
and, the roar of the horn;

but for the presence
of the gleaming moon 

that shone so brightly and ruled the night, 

and, the sight of a spirited me in the train

as passionately, it chugged along.

was it not december!

i stood at the door,

braving the chill, and the dew in the air

as the train gathered speed

and my heart beats, their pace.

the sip off the earthen cup
brought warmth to my lips

the smile on the wrinkled face
of tea-seller girl

rubbed off on mine

as i witnessed the rattling of the stones,

the train tore through the swaying paddy fields

that joined me in basking in the moonlit sky!

hours passed by,

as the train roared through woods,

and bent over ravines, farms and fields, 

clanking on merging and parting tracks,
or galloping across perilous old bridges. 

i stood as a frame, next to the door

with face and palms - turned numb in the chill

and eyes that froze into a long weary gaze, 
a line of warmth rolled down my cheeks

as I longed to be home with my moon!

i can't say if it was some distant memory

several winters back,

or, if i was soaked in yet another sparkling dream.

i could smell the soot

and even saw the engine
belch out clouds of smoke,

but in the deep silence of the night,
disturbed only by the ticking of the clock,
and an occasional creaking of the door
my brain was too tired to make out

if it came from across the lake

or, from the train that ferried me 
to a different world!

© sashikant mohanty