Connect (A Tribute To Our Courageous Medical Professionals) Poem by rita malhotra

the five elements conspire
to assault my senses
with that lethal, invisible nemesis
each agonizing breath borrows
a minuscule puff of oxygen
as i enter the township of solitude
nameless
they remain masked, calm,
faceless

yet we connect deep-
in my desire to cherish, those
outlying undreamt dreams
and their humble urgency
to shield a choking soul
from the fangs of Yama*
doctor and patient follow
time's footsteps into
the elated intersection
of life's Venn diagram

we connect in our hopes
(hopes are not wayfarers,
they have a destination)
my focused hope to heal
a fragmented consciousness and
theirs to lend that sanguine glow
to yet another dying flame

we connect in our aspirations-
mine to see them conquered
in fulfilment-smiles
(Orpheus takes the path from light to dark
and back to light)
theirs to watch my exhilaration
in victory-lined eyes

when gasping breaths first met them,
when hopes were but a sea of ash,
i was merely a COVID number
they, the summoned saviours
strangers-in-arms then,
we are soulmates now

we connect in our optimisms
in a two-star constellation
draped in the same dreams,
we battle the same foe
hum congruent hopes
we breathe synonymous desires

we connect in our goodbye gestures-
their plural palms in farewell cheer
my folded hands, grateful tears
their nests woven in my heart,
i say a silent prayer

outside-
an artfully-attired careful spring
in singular poise, in dainty pace
inhales deep, the
ethereal, mystical, morning-mist.

*In Hinduism, Yama, also referred to as Yamaraja, a Rigvedic deity, is the Lord of death and of justice. In the Puranas, Yama is depicted as having four arms, protruding fangs, and the complexion of storm-clouds with an expression of wrath.