WHISPERS OF THE NIGHT

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As the sky’s blush darkens under

The shadow of her drowsy lashes.

Wild beasts leisurely wander home

Weary birds choose their bushes.

 

A hush falls over the city-

Lights flicker out one by one.

Our world closes its oblivious eyes

To the world that has just begun.

 

The Moon yawns under a blanket of clouds

Insistent, crickets are chirping

She would beg for five minutes, if she wasn’t so late;

Vows to sleep earlier next morning.

 

She sets foot on the ink black grass

Twinkling with countless dew.

You look once and see frozen flames

But look again and the sky looks new!

 

Our world is now a mere silhouette

Dark shapes lining the horizon.

The heartbeat of deceptive silence

Creates a language foreign.

 

What is the language you ask?

You need only open a window-

 

Rustling leaves, like little sisters

Long after bedtime, giggle in whispers.

A lonesome owl and a distant train

Mournful cries of parted lovers.

 

Fireflies frolic like little children

Sunrays trapped in their tiny fists.

Stolen from the day to set free at night

Over the forest floor like a golden mist.

 

Mane dappled with moonlight,

A depthless lion, the ocean roars

Unsated with its menacing vastness

Snatches at its glistening shores.

 

And if it so happens to rain that night,

Like a waterfall, distant, yet so close;

The echo of a million anklets, as they

 Dance to the rhythm of the universe.

 

While we sleep,

The night wakes-

Nature’s version of pillow talk

And late-night texts.

 

What lies behind the realm of light,

Like a secret garden forgotten, forbidden,

Behind a wall, we don’t think to climb…

Let us trespass tonight and see what happens?

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- Annyesha Bhuniya