As walks got brisk,
As pre-dawn runs took place of
the lazy dusk walks,
As slippers lost their place in the racks
To the sneakers,
When finding joy in the gentle breeze
was replaced by the thrill of races,
When the trains' clanking,
And the smoke from the chimneys
stopped ringing in memories,
We also stopped meeting
My shadow and me!
As the nests got bigger,
And the souls fewer,
When we stopped waking up
To blue skies, half-hidden by the clouds,
When the house felt chill
On mid-summer afternoons,
And the whirring of the compressor
replaced the noisy chatter,
As the cane chairs gathered dust
in the verandah,
When piping-hot tea lost its charm,
We stopped meeting
My soul and me!
As I turn old,
And my calves beg to slow down,
As my heart takes a pause,
And the branches sway,
to return my kiss,
As the little bird hums up a song,
When the smoke ushered in
Rolls of smoke from the huts,
Behind silhouettes of the home-bound carts,
And rings in
Flashes of memories,
Can someone tell my shadow
I'm waiting for her!!
© Sashikant Mohanty
