DEATH AND DUST

Looking beyond the window 
I always wanted to shut my eyes. 
No sky could hold my head. 
I did’t want to see the innocent smiles 
vanishing from the moulded faith. 

The smell of burning leaves waftes through 
the catacomb of dead thoughts. 
The time does not spare any overflow of poetry. 
Life extracts its price of tomorrow. 

Nothing will change. People will laugh, 
weep and mourn. A candle for those 
who jumped from minaret of silence. A 
bonquet for them who died on waves. 

I will hide the kernel under the mud 
by stealth. One day amongst the 
spikes a pink spirit will rise. A double landmark 
for death and dust.

Satish Verma