! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Hello, Night! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Poem by Mamta Agarwal

As the twilight hour strikes,
I eagerly await the night.
My heart beat never rises,
Nor am I overcome with fright.

As the darkness slowly creeps,
And nature gives subtle cues to sleep;
For once, I don’t pay heed,
Just tune to my instincts.

For the night is my friend,
For me, it’s a Godsend.
It’s the night alone that keeps
Its appointment with me.

Noiselessly it comes, as I wait
We grin and make eye contact;
Hug, hold and warmly embrace,
I feel The presence of grace.

Darkness, silence and night-
My soul stirs and lights,
I hear the sound of my breath,
And stretch out on bed full length.

At midnight, when grandfather clock
Strikes a dozen times- ding dong, ding dong.
I quietly take a blanket and turn on my side,
Close my eyes, hesitantly… with a playful smile.