M I S T R U S T Poem by Sachidananda Panda

Bruised and battered
I stood along the shore
Stretching my eyes
Beyond the horizon
As far as it could reach
Traces of the dry clouds
As they retreat as lost warriors.

Either the punishing Notus,
Or of seasonal prudence
The floating patches of white
Look lifeless, sans the courage
To face the summer scourge
As it dictates with defiance
In the month of May

All alone I moved…
With measured foot steps
Collecting, and recollecting with
Enliven Mummies of memory
With a hope; if I could ever
Inject life into the sunken souls

Droplets of ennui appeared scattered
Like pebbles on a deserted floor
As facsimiles of defeat
With every stroke, both hard and harsh
They get flung and smitten to move up
Only to be dragged down with the flow

Despite the punishing tide
The saline roar and the cruel jerk
Miens of masculinity though turn pale
Yet! Brazenly resilient to hold on
As usual, a dignified defeat in private
Could be all they want; A secret surrender
A death; in some unknown lone corner

The vegetative kingdom craves
For respite, like deserted soul mates
Dried fountains of passion wait
To inundate Bosoms of isolation
Along the equations of defeat or profit
We come closure to the heaving kinship;
That…Life is too short to accommodate
Mistrust in any relationship.

©Sachi-July-2019