( I )
I need no bon-fire now; oh! how sweet then
Those days when we, with friends and kin
Sat round the fire that blazed all night
With a merry warmth around ! That sight
Still thrills my heart with tearful glee !
We sat forgetful of the hours ; we played
In the surrounding dark and danced around
The fire or sat rubbing our palms in the chilly air
Of Hemanth, till morn bloomed with chrysanths
Abundant with the glow of iridescent jacinths :
( I I )
We sat till we beheld the priest in star-lit dawn
Chanting the name of God and thrumming his lyre
With tinkling bells on his ankles as he strode;
While housewives poured rice into his wide brass bowl
We sat till the wintry sky with lustrous stars cast a spell
Till the bright star ushered in the sacred dawn ;
We sat till virgins rose and decked their front door yard
With colored designs and prayed to God
Of cows and Gopis, by clapping hands in rhythmic ways
Their bangles tinkled in tune with their anklets :
( III )
We sat till the temple bell rang in misty morn
Inviting us to share the sweet pongal offered to God ;
The foggy morn with clustered pearls of dew on grass
Like hearts brimming with joy delighted our tired eyes :
Those childhood days were gone ; no bon-fire now I need
My heart ablaze with thoughts of those past events ;
Where are those friends, those tales and playful days !
Perhaps they would also feel like me, this estranged state ;
How blessed are those who can find a store of mirth
Even now,though not as sweet as then, within their hearts!
********************************
12th January, 2017 Somaseshu Gutala
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