We Dream Still

Rudrika Khajuria

One fine day amidst the chaos
Erupted another volcanic adversary,
Invisible to the naked eye, meandering
Like a serpentine ever so stealthily.

A ravenous ophidian of cryptic origin
Set out on a frantic rampage,
It saw no sex, ethnicity, religion
For it worked to its advantage.

No, do not misconstrue its obliviousness for objectivity!
For it preys instead
On the weak and fragile, and
Those with underlying morbidities.

This enemy of the modern world
Make no mistake, has made a return.
In a variant new, with a novel name,
A tattered picture in the same old frame.

We plunged into this eerie nightmare
Unrehearsed actors, configuring our way,
Seeking resilience, love, compassion
In misery alone humanity conflates.


Now locked inside the comfort of homes,
Caged birds, fluttering our wings,
As Clear skies await our flight,
Reminiscing the thrill of gliding o’er hills.
We dream still.

We dream of that land of ours
Where once we wandered wild and free,
Through meadows unkempt, clotted with vines
And glittery lights of the city streets

Where lovers recoiled under starry nights
And Noah in his granny’s arms
Dreamt of fighting demons alone
And intimacy did raise no alarm.

There we shall embark again
That land of ours where adventures await.
And while the world seems still and astray,
Relish this stillness for it seldom gives way
In the hustle bustle of our strenuous lives
Where to pause and reflect we cite lack of time.

We’ll dock our boats while the tempest lasts
With bowline knots to hold steadfast
So when we revert to the bounty waves
In the aftermath of subsided gale
We sail across the ocean’s spread
Exuding hope with every breath.