The Last Sunset

The engine blared again
As it tore through the silence of the fields,
Kicking up the dust
Quiet enough to call noise,
Loud enough to slip up for music,
Even the metal seemed to soften,
As the golden rays of the last sunset,
Set the paddy fields on fire.
As the bells from the bullock-cart
Struck up sweet music,
As its silhouette strolled along
Across the crimson disc and orange skies,
Along with the prayer that slipped my lips,
There were
My tears, and my hope
For your warmth.


When the breeze caught up a pace,
When the paddy stalks broke into a dance
When their pranks brought alive many memories,
From many moons back,
When the wind blew the sooty smoke, my way,
It wasn't just divine,
There was so much to a soul's delight!
As the blanket of mist set me up for warm tea,
As the first shades of dark blossomed on the fields,
As a shy moon perched on lamp-laced huts,
They welled up in my heart and my eyes -
My tears, and my hope
For your warmth!



© Sashikant Mohanty