The bustling road to the distant town with shops and traffic closed- stands numb
The scurrying vehicles fed up and exhausted, stand by the parking lot,
Drowsily dreaming with their masked yet shabbily clothed masters.
The tenants of the empyrean, their only guard and companion.
As I walk sporting a face mask, the green lush paddy fields dance
Or did my mind jump in excitement, I know not-
Hither side of a large pond, I stand and watch the egrets,
The marshy land, the glowing sun, the palmyra trees.
The highway breathes silence but the birds chirp loudly
Or were I deaf to their happiness beforehand, I know not
Hither side of a railway track, I stand and watch the rodents play,
the track, the gatekeepers’ cement bench, the dried leaves.
Yonder, a well-cleaned hut, with fresh neem leaves on its fence
And a pot of turmeric water- the poor man’s sanitizer welcomes passerby
Flawlessly the lockdown days proceed with discipline. It’s picture-perfect.
But the other days, the fear of the disease, awareness disappears- economy reigns
Beautifully worded agony of lockdown and vigour of the poor to live …
Thank you Swati for that wonderful appreciation.
An evocative piece,a well honed elegy for our times.
Thank you so much Louis
The poem vividly recreates the ambience of lockdown days.A sharp eye for minute details,is the highlight of this piece.
Thank you Vijay ji
A riveting poem . This recreates the vista before the poet’s eye vividly before settling on the most mundane yet reassuring details . The will to live puts the virus to shame
Thank you Amita mam…