Gently

It's fine you don't feel the way, I do

The crimson skies don't light up your spirits, 

The aroma from the fall's flowers

Doesn't ring in a smell from your memories, 

The  chirping of the mynas doesn't echo a murmur,

In your heart.

But when you laugh it off, at those thoughts, 

They tear my heart apart.

Please do it gently! 

It's fine, the sight of the panoramic mountains

Don't light up your eyes, 

The slant rays of sun, the chill in the air

Don't draw you to me,  

Even Kashmir's beauty wouldn't capture your imagination, 

The untouched, the unrivalled, the unbridled 

The unviolated, and the unspoiled 

The stream and the stanzas, 

The moonlight that shone on the stones, 

And the music in the springs,
Were all so alien to you. 

When you sit next to me, under a starry sky

The silence pierced through my heart, 

The space seemed like miles, and ages,
They crush my thoughts, the little crazy ones.

Please do it gently! 

Where's the playful shyness of your chunni,

The way it would, earlier

As the wind blew it over my face, 

Why don't the golden strands smell the same, 

Like they would earlier, 

Why don't the winter afternoons, 

And the summer evenings

Bring the bounce to your feet,

The same way as they did. 

As I struggle to bide time,

As my heart craves for a hug

When you're too busy for memories, 

My heart bleeds from a deep cut.

Please do it gently! 

© Sashikant Mohanty