DIPABALI @ BHUBANESWAR (Poetry)

Bikash Choudhury

Days to go for Dipabali festival

Modmossel ordered her laundry list  

Dhanteresa tomorrow buy flowers, fruits and sweets

Bring rangoli and diyas, will impress upon goddess of wealth 

Let her rain wealth this time alone

Let me soak myself in Mercedes under the patio of my brand new bungalow

Dipavali arrived with very buoyant mood in the morning

Soaked thoughts of previous night poured on the computer key board

A poem, said my better half, no good; won’t buy my ration or my lipstick

Never said that only fueled my desire to write; one day she would call me poet

I am no Kalidas; call myself a strategy consultant and an activist never paid my due

My happiness has never deserted me and my joy for life never higher than today

I love and dream of Ideas of Hope

Poet in me today surcharged with emotion and passion

Evening arrived when sun went down in the western sky, early

Diyas lit up the homes invoked goddess Laxmi once again

Went out on the street to capture the free flowing thoughts, feelings and emotions

Reflected in the lighting arrangement and that sound of happiness distinct of each home

Returned to the 7^th floor pent house after soaking my mind in dipavali sounds, lights & colors

Sat on a revolving chair and passionately took a 360 degree view of the sky

Trained my ear and sight to the sound of crackers, rockets and bombs of many kind

At times, it was like sniper fire, some time it was like Bofors field gun and some time it was like the machine gun and some time of small fire arms

 Lights followed the sounds in golden, red, pink, green and yellow explode like stars

This Dipavali lights and sounds touched me deep inside creating a volcano of peace & tranquility.