It Is Unavoidable: Inundation Coming Poem by Rites Ghosh

Slowly, a dimness roused,
all silently in a fine grim ring trapped-
the first one drops heavily
and the whole brooding hour
of the earth is pelted: a jerk
from dense upward came unknown
followed by a surreal dream or oracle:
it is unavoidable: inundation coming-

The young leaves must not
know this for sure and takes this drop
as the mysterious tinkle of her anklet-
the old ones know the omen
and spread out in fear their creased palms-
it is all unavoidable: inundation coming-

Gradually with the terror-heavy wings
came flashing the waterbirds:
may be with a punishing vision
or a visionless dull grey hand
gripping time in perennial present-
my mind like that of midnight Noah hears-
the flushing stories of water ruptured-
it is unavoidable: inundation coming

Beyond my window this old bough
of withered banyan, now loose
and hanging low o'er the pond;
it knows a perilous pull will do it all
and wakes upto the door of his mind,
one day he is to get past the last bar-
it is unavoidable: inundation coming-

But rain's frills and filling songs
drum all over, drum and beat;
slowly the pond emerges fleshy
with the moment's plumpness-
she finds her in sensual body full:
no more absent, no more mourned-
only she raises herself upto one's hope,
upto his wrinkled roots, handing him
some balmy metaphors:
it is unavoidable: inundation coming-

Rain, rain-I am too shut, too curbed
within this moveless room-
go writing by my dry, cramped hand-
once I was buried down your swelling cool
fine long hours of mindless run-
never feared I the arrows of your love-
the hurts and wounds of that noon,
I kept up all in rhymes,
knowing you must leave me alone
in this wavering road-knowing
you must leave me dry-knowing
fully well rain's happiness cannot last-
once inundation came over:

If I shut the doors of mind,
or close poetry's widest windows,
memory rain will drench me on
with sorrows, smudging dream lines
of beauty: yet amidst this roomful clouds
I will keep hearing her
in some dear rains of my tears...