A Long Pause Poem by Ruta Mohapatra

In the quiet of the night
She lies on the bed
And listens

To the incessant
Thump, thump, thump
Of her heart

To the incessant
Tick, tick, tick
Of the table clock

To the hiss of the wind
As it winds through the trees

To the hoot, hoot, hoot
Of the hunting night owl

While at the back of her mind
Flow the troubles of the present
That does not allow her to sleep

She no longer thinks
Of the past or the future
They no longer matter