Neelima Chakraborty's Poem


Teesta Review: A Journal of Poetry, Volume 3, Number 1. May 2020. ISSN: 2581-7094



Stirrings of a Young Heart
Initially hesitant,
My body is now one
With the new regimen
Of waking up to a haunting silence.
One
With the dancing shadows of stillness
That bounces back and forth
With the languid breeze.
One
With the muffled television
Crooning cheerful strains
Of a half- forgotten beat.
One
With the lonesome mendicant
Awaiting mercy with open palms.
One
With the sky
Unravelling its colours with passing hour.
Thus forged is a strange connect,
Only to be broken
By the familiar drone
of the garbage collection vans.
Suddenly,
The animated feet find their ground
The gloved hands, all come out.
Rubbish dumped. 
Glances exchanged.
No smiles are visible through the hideous masks.
Blank stares.
And then...
Back inside home.
Home sweet home.
Before work takes over my mind,
I make myself a cup of tea
And watch its rings of steam
Gently stretching,
Waking up, raising its tiny head,
Trembling slightly
As if in a deep slumber,
Dreaming of what once was
One
With shimmering vignettes
Of love, laughter and longing.
A longing that had lasted for ages.
Gradually, its translucent wisps
Dissolve as gently as it had emanated...
Makes you wonder
How lives too are ephemeral.
One day, here;
Another moment, poof! You're gone.
Only to be born again
Someday, somewhere,
Donning a different skin
To take a sip
Of the brewing storm.