The River Beyond My Window Poem by Latha Krishnan

A canoe goes chugging by outside my window;
Its wake creates waves on the bosom of the smooth flowing river
People in it calmly waiting to disembark at the temple steps
Downstream, some of them will reach another jetty
From where they will go to a church or a mosque nearby
The river brings them together in one canoe
Christian, Muslim and Hindu all as one -
Here in Kerala where no God is better than the other!
Everyone is equal and the Gods are for all; just as the river is for all!
From my window I see the river gurgling softly by its green banks
With banana and coconut trees swaying in the breeze
Cows grazing in the grassy island in the lap of the river
The bridge spanning it carrying traffic of two and four wheeled vehicles
All moving forward in a hurry, while below it, the river knows
That they may forget to look at her smooth blue flow and the colours of the sky in her
But they are all One God's children! The river, the sky and the earth are one too!
I hear the bells from the temple clanging the Deeparadhana;
The muezzin calling the faithful to prayer just as church bells toll for Vespers!
In the distance an airplane takes off smoothly cleaving the sky, silver winged
Two minutes later yet another is circling to land
I watch the airplanes and lights brightly lighting the airport and runway
I imagine someone in the tower giving instructions to the pilots
When they land and take off from this green expanse of earth and ribbon river
The passengers must be watching the same with glee when they land
And a little rueful when they take off from here, I am sure!
Travel does that - the reaching or the leaving makes one sigh!
From my window I gaze awed by all that the river is witness to everyday!
Travellers in multi vehicles, plying on water, land, and air
All of them scurrying towards their destinations and yet together like the river
They are One; there will be no strife in the name of any God
Here, in this blessed land where the Periyar flows quietly
Down to merge and be one with the waiting sea!