Undreaming

i chose a different road today,
laced with different trees,
many - all but scorched branches,
with hardly a leaf,
stiff they stood, and barely a whiff;
i'd set out to find another friend,
but when i paused, at every bend,
you, i couldn't unfriend

i tried turning a new leaf,
tuned in to different songs,
wrote, erased, rewrote the texts,
and didn't send, still
flipped through books,
but didn't make sense of a line,
pulled a sheet on hope, put it to sleep,
even avoided the street,
where the temples stood,
but as the prayers left my lips,
you, i couldn't unsee

i resolved for a different today, 
started with coffee,
and not the usual aroma tea,
made a few calls,
giggled and grinned,
but when my jaws were tired,
and a lull settled by my ear,
and when alone, i sank in my chair,
your soothing voice, i couldn't unhear

i'd sworn myself to stay away, 
to not listen to my heart's say,
but between the sips,
the books, and the songs
when the frames played and plunged, all day,
with eyes shut wide, as tired i lay,
when they well up, to the brim,
your smiles and our castles, i can't ever undream!




© sashikant mohanty