Why Now, Why Not Then!

The waves surging towards the shores
Were calm like never before,
Made it look like the magical melting of colors
Where you couldn't tell,
Where the copper sulfate ended and golden beach began!
When the wing banked a turn over the seas,
The ships and the sailboats froze
Time took a pause as if to allow the moment to seep into me,
It made an artist's muse,
And left me wondering, if it was a dream,
Or, was that a living portrait.
The road laced with sodium lamps
Was nothing short of handcrafted jewelry,
Everything looks so full of life,
So romantic,
When you see them from the distance,
Far from them, far in the sky
Why couldn't you, when you stood close to them
Why now, why not then!

The view of the manicured plants
Woven delicately with the fresh bloom
Against the polished rocks perched on the  landscape
Was so intoxicating
So inviting,
You'd pull up on the side
And run to the lilies, the tagara, and the champa.
Or, just lie on the misty velvet below
And let the beams of December moon
Bathe you with the soothing gold.
Why did you leave them behind
Several years and thousands of miles behind
When you could go back to them everyday,
And night,
The clear blue skies, a starry canopy,
With the golden saucer playing hide and seek
Behind the dancing clouds!
Were they any less spirited
The endless fields of cropped grass, the tiny mound
And acres of swaying gold and wild,
That winked a smile,
As the airs were filled with the song
From the bells of the bullock-cart,
Why, why did you leave them behind?
Why now, Why not then?

The view of the blinking blue lamps
Appeared so inviting,
As if waiting
To give a tight hug,
And as I grow impatient to get there,
The landing strip
Sparkled into dazzling Diwali lights,
And then plunged into a complete dark,
As I struggled to keep my eyes open
And my heart tried remembering
Its favourite beats!
But, why wait until then, why not now?


© Sashikant Mohanty

Train Ride

Every train ride has a story,
The ones you've longed for,
The holidays, you planned and saved for,
When each passing day adds on to the excitement,
And piling up of expectations,
To be back with your own, your home, and friends
And of course, lazing in your cozy bed!
It's not just about the destination,
But so much about the journeys.
When finally you pack up from work,
Your feet unable to hold back the joy,
Almost gravity-defying,
Add a bounce to the walk,
Why not, having waited for ages,
How often had you not leaped out from sleep,
Run to the calendar,
To check if you had counted it wrong!

Every train ride has a story,
The strangers, the bubbly and the excited,
That joined you by the door,
Waving to strangers at the level-crossings
And the lanky children in the barren fields,
And enjoyed the swaying of paddy fields,
Under the golden moonlight.
Or, the one who bought a cup of tea
Not because she wanted one,
But to bring a smile to the tired boy,
Whose fragile frame almost gave up,
Under the weight of the shoulders!
Few hours, few stations, and a few glances
And, she seemed to like the smell of the train,
The drizzle that soaked her face,
And the sip of hot tea from the earthen cups,
Breaking free of the layers,
Letting her hair down.
What a rocker of a journey it was!
The banter, the smiles and the uncomfortable silences,
The stretching of hands through the window rails,
To feel the stream's warm water,
As the train raced through the tunnels,
And scarily close to the rocky walls,
How they yelled
Matching the blare of the horns,
As the coach rattled and roared into darkness,
Didn't it seem like a house on fire!
As the time came for parting
It was tough to tell if it was fun, or, if it was tough
Assuring to be in touch,
When they exchanged addresses,
And the glances,
The looks gave it away,
You could tell the hope, the fear, the lump in throat,
Or was it yet another journey!

Every train ride is a story,
How tough it gets when you get ready
To head back, leaving the warmth and the smiles,
On another long journey,
When you struggle to keep the smile on
And take care not to meet her eyes,
Lest the emotions burst from them.
When you finally board the train,
Feet grudgingly accepting their fate,
And then you realize the train's pace, and your fate
From her moving away,
She picks a small flight to hold on to your hand,
One last time,
When you see the kajal turn moist in her eyes,
You couldn't hold back the warmth behind yours,
Any longer,
Words slip your wary thoughts,
You could see her lips move quickly to match yours
She said something,
Only to be drowned by the whistle
That had signaled start of another journey,
Of fear, of hope and of guessing her words,
Until another story is written,
Of another train ride!


© Sashikant Mohanty

Quiet Of The Night

In the quiet of the night
As a light veil drew around me
And my wandering thoughts,
My heart gathered pace,
And, pounded heavy and fast,
At the thought of someone up and close,
As I kept enjoying the very moment,
As the moonlight pierced through the curtains
And left a mild warmth
The silence only to be broken
By the wheezing sound that came from close,
Very close to where I lay.
As the soft burst of breeze pushed the curtain aside,
And left my eyes lit, wide open,
Me burying my face in a soft pillow
Until it choked the music -
The wheezing music that came from very close
Very close to where I lay,
From my breath!

The soothing breeze drew up distant thoughts
Of tall pines that formed the skyline for miles,
The endless lush green velvet
And the layers of hills tempting a chase,
As the perfume from her silk unkempt tresses
Filled my soul with overflowing aroma,
My life with boundless hope.
As the cloud faded from the horizons,
As the Sun sank low among the hills,
And the star-spangled sky played out a dazzling procession
As the ride neared its end,
The warmth escaped the corner of my eyes,
As if in a sweeping act,
They were wiped as fast,
Before they caught anyone's notice,
By her dupatta
When she blew it around her to wrap into a shawl,
As if it had waited until that moment,
And longed to return its due,
In the quiet of that night!


© Sashikant Mohanty