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