If Once Again Poem by Prafulla Kumar Panda

Even if I like,
how far would I go
since memories
walk ahead of me and block my path
time walks ahead
many a time, though I think to walk with him
but I can't
as this mind carries me to you, I stop
your stubbornness binds me,
and like a bee I only cling to sing
the song of love
forgetting everything- even hunger and thirst

if you would consent
and walk with me
your sweet voice would fill me with courage
and your smile with faith
if it were true
and you would be mine again
my lost spring would return
and I would be thrilled
to scatter love's sacred pollen
through every nook and corner,
and into the distant horizon

if once again-
you were to walk with me, hand in hand,
surely there would be a return,
for me, all the tastes of the world,
and the sweet smell of the spring-
so my happy days would return
to inspirit me to walk along
into far-off distance
even though I am old and exhausted.

©Prafulla Panda, Odisha, India.
All rights reserved.