Replanting Dream Tree Poem by Kakoli Mukherjee

When was it that we grew up
And these silences replaced
The innocent games we played?
May be we can go back to the
Fragrant lemon tree of our courtyard
And ask it if it saw the silence cancer spreading
Or maybe we can ask the bulbul
That gobbled up the ripe fruits of the curry patta tree
If it saw such times coming.


We should also ask the old Gulmohr tree
Whose flowers were as red as our lips
As we sat sucking our ice popsicles in its shade
We can also ask the silvery mighty river
If it had ever buried such silences in his breast
And unknowingly passed on to us
As we stood knee-deep in the water
To immerse the idols and fill the
Small tumblers made of brass.

Finally we have to visit our dream tree
Where we had hung our gossamer dreams
The silences had not bothered us then
We were luminous suns scaring away shadows
But there is darkness in our souls now
The shadows might have climbed high
And knocked down a few dreams
We have find its roots, plant it again
And never let it die.