The challenge is to write a poem that:
- Is specific to a season
- Uses imagery that relates to all five senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell)
- Includes a rhetorical question, (like Keats’ “where are the songs of spring?”)
The changing phase of city
I sit by the window of my room
a mug of coffee, to relax my stressed muscles; a weary day,
the evening breeze, I breathe in deeply-
my lungs feel the expanse
the city still racing, vehicles sprinting on each side
the beaming lights, the musical honking, everything sporting the spirit of haste;
the city never gets fatigued
queue of people waiting for the buses,
mothers smiling, toddlers examining the surroundings
the intensity of air caressing my face, surges swiftly-
my hair scattered all over my face,
dust- my nostrils sense, a sandstorm, maybe
my lungs contract; the impact of pollutants
lights on the ground, other than vehicles, no more illuminated
lightening above the ground, all prevalent-
piercing the darkness, trouncing the blaring
heavens clamoring for attention from earthly beings
clouds rejoice; embrace each other-
their joy drenches the parched land
the city intensifies its pace-
mothers and toddlers rush home, queue scatters, snarls rise
I rush to the porch,
to revel in the season’s first downpour
the aroma of wet soil after the rain shower, my lungs expand again
my feet feel the bliss of wet green grass; a feeling beyond words
trees sway jubilantly; refreshed after shower
birds flap their wings; twittering and racing
an aura of joy envelops the city,
the city welcomes the monsoon!
Does this city ever sleep?
©Vandana Bhasin
25.04.2019
