The evening has set in!

Just outside the bedroom window

The evening has set in

The breeze is still awake

It has, yet, not turned in

A thin twig greets the wind

A tiny branch, too, shakes its hand

The sound of chirping has receded

The stillness looms large over the land

The birds have all gone to bed

But for that solitary peacock

And that circling lark

That stepped away from the flock

A kit of pigeons flies by

The last prattle of parrots calls

Hurrying to get into their nests

Before the curtain of night falls

Somewhere in dusty hinterland

In a hut an oil lamp is lit

The wires lie strewn in dirt

Waiting to be connected bit by bit

The farming father has returned

He’s just hung up his tools

The stove is quickly set on fire

There is, today, fresh food

and a slice of melon that cools

While back in the city that never sleeps

The clamour, somewhat, calms down

We take for granted things big and small

Even the comfort of neon is frowned upon

The flowers curl up and seek quietude

As dusk pulls on its shroud fast

The leaves lay still, in a stoic silence

Worrying ‘bout the shadows that may be cast

The neighbourly cuckoo shouts me a good night

Hoping for another day to find me around

The wolf at home brings the roof down

Her family has returned safe and sound

The night will soon tuck us in

There is peace in sleep

To be sought

And hope to be fortified

Before a new day unfolds

And newer struggles to be fought!

L. Aruna Dhir

7.7.2018