Shefali…

As eyes mist over the remnants of the past,

Lids drooping through the clearings of the rain-washed skies,

As I hum aimlessly the songs of my soul

Waiting for a rare tear drop to melt and to dry

As I dream of the first droplets of Shefali

Flooding my verandah, stuffing my doors,

Question my self — is it time to get back ‘home’?

 

As the fragrance of the white Velvet soothes the sense,

Filling the heart with a longing for someone dear

As the moments of  the languishing year,

Begin to close and start to get dense,

As I watch the droplets of Shefali

Drying in the pages of my old diary,

Sense the passage of moments and feel the echoes of time.

 

As I witness the flowers weeping down the boughs of the morning

With a vague promise of the coming of a starry-eyed evening

As the chapters of  life twists and turn

A faint wish stealthily lives where I wish that hope returns

As I touch the droplets of Shefali

Tingling my fingers and filling my world…

I know the time of Your coming is close at hand….

(P.N.: For those readers who are not acquainted with the term ‘Shefali’ — it’s a particular kind of tiny star-shaped white flower found in Eastern India. October-November is typically the time when these flowers fill the night-sky. They have an amazingly soft and delightful fragrance.  There is a philosophical dimension to these flowers, because they only bloom in the night, and fall off the boughs the next morning — as if reflecting a slice of life itself.  These flowers are known by several names like “Ganga Siuli” , “Jhara Sephali” in Odisha and “Siuli” in Bengal, “Shefali” in Bangladesh)