Sunset
By Fiza Pathan
The sunset beckons me
to watch the tide draw inwards
and to drown my anxiety in its cool waters.
The ravens have lost themselves in slumber
upon the banyan tree
while the fishermen down in their boats
beckon the dark sea to give up its fish.
By my side is a stray dog asleep
in this solitude of the uninspired mind.
I rub his mite ridden body to soothe my pain
as I watch the orange glow disappear
from the canvas of the blue sky.
The temple bells are ringing a chant
to the beat of a popular holy song.
Their blossoms scent the atmosphere
intoxicating my nostrils
while I sit down in contemplation.
I remember of the times long gone
and the life yet to come
and thus lose my grip on the present.
The crabs that I’ve picked to eat
from the seashore are plenty –
my dog and I will not rest our heads
on our dilapidated beds
hunger in the pit of our stomachs.
An old beggar woman with bloodshot eyes
and a stick to hold her brittle bones together
pleads for a rupee from my purse –
unknowingly she asks me
another beggar for a bite to eat.
For I am truly a pauper at heart
with only a soul for the sea of thoughts
that swim through my brain.
I lift myself up from the sandy shore of the beach
and the dog, my only true lover follows me
towards the darker part of my mind’s eye.
I remember the time when I fell in love
with a man of the sea who ventured out to the great ocean
and never turned back to bid me farewell –
I will remind myself of him every time
I set foot on the shore of lost love
along with my fishing net so poorly stitched
and my only lover, the stray dog.
Copyright © 2014 by Fiza Pathan
Image courtesy: http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/671237
Leave a Reply