Diwali Despair Poem by Uma nair

Lights illumine
Walls and balconies
Flames mirroring
The delights of Diwali

Temples and towns
All aglow and clear
But birds, dogs and elders
Sit silent in fear

Bombs and crackers
Fill the air
Darken the night
With street corners burning

Scrolls of gunpowder
And precious paper
Whirling flames
Thunderous noise

Hope in the heart
Becomes a breathless
Asthmatic murmur
Wheezing in a world

Torn by sounds
Eclipsing the light
Engulfed in darkness
City hospitals overflow

No one talks
Of the nuisance
Of crackers
And nimble hands

That lose their childhood
In creating a necklace
Of fireworks for School kids
Who love the sound of burning paper

October

2014