Waiting

 waiting

for the birds to turn home

for the last sundown

for the chaos in the skies

orange, grey, blue and burgundy

for the calming of the nerves

and the trumpet of conch shells

and to draw the curtains on another day

waiting

for the clouds to break up,

for the smell of earth,

for the call of the crickets,

for the smell of incense sticks,

and to draw the curtains on another day

waiting

for the smell of ginger tea,

for the settling into the balcony chairs,

for the cool wafts of summer evenings,

for the lazy moon rise,

for ushering in the dreams, once more,

and ringing in one more endless night 

© sashikant mohanty 

Naked

come when you're ready
to be naked,
of all the untruths,
of the pretenses,
of the made-up modesties,
of all the egos

come when you're ready
to be soaked in me,
come when you don't hold back,
come when you are you,
no layers,
come when you don't bother
how naked you are,
before me

come when you're willing
to give up everything,
to risk being disowned,
to own up the path,
you once disowned,
come and let your hair down,
to let the warmth flow
to let heart overflow,
through your eyes
to feel god again

come when you're ready
to be fused with me
come when
not only when the tides
rock your boat
and your world,
but when the breeze
fills your sail
as well

come when you don't bother
how naked you are
and can't wait to be my world,
come when you're ready again
to be where
you belong

come when you're ready
to be naked before god,
to let go of the disdain,
when your heart is pure,
and filled with the naked truth,
come when
you can shed fears and tears,
again

come when you care to feel
how naked i have been
how truth rolled from my eyes,
how my life has flowed
to become yours,
when you can see how
my naked eyes
have longed to meet
your naked eyes,
heart,
and soul




© sashikant mohanty 

  

Broken

a broken cabinet
a damaged door knob,
a slipping fan regulator,
a broken vase,
a missing cup from a set,
a creaking pull-up book rack,
a dented kitchen slab,
a cracked bedroom mirror,
and not a chip of regret

everything that could break in life
is broken here,
a lost trust
a broken relationship,
a broken everything,
a shaky belief,
a wasted life,
a silenced soul

© sashikant mohanty

Tonight, The Winds Are Quiet

tonight
the night is pitch dark,
voider than void,
darker far than
any new moon night,
there is none i can see,
maybe,
none i'm looking forward to,
for nobody is waiting tonight,
none ever waited,
to meet,
to listen to,
and be listened to,
to talk to,
and be talked to

tonight,
the winds are quiet,
as if they've stopped breathing,
not a blade of leaf stirred,
even the murmur of breath
has got quieter,
everything's so still,
it's not cold,
yet,
but it feels like,
it feels, and smells like death,
am i close to home?
a thought flashes
as a rare waft pats my cheeks

tonight,
she's not looking for me,
she never really did,
maybe she did,
and not let me know,
or,i dreamt that way,
for years,
and hoped, and prayed
even believed,
stronger by the day
lately, 
several hundred nights
when her thoughts,
and her dreams kept me up,
while she slept,
i liked it that way,
the way she sleeps,
like a baby,
but tonight,
my head is hurting,
eyes heavy, too 
and my heart - tired,
mind unusually numb to wander,
or feel,
and it's my turn to sleep
for long,
for ever, maybe!





© sashikant mohanty