Star And Moon Poem by DEEPAK KUMAR PATTANAYAK

It was nearly midnight
Of a day of such a hectic November
Bringing winter, weddings, charity
And many events I could remember
Up above me a clear cloudless sky
Forming a constellation spectacular
Stars together were showcasing their glamour and beauty
Moonstruck I looked up, in celestial grandeur
She was lighting the whole sky magnificently
Sky, stars, and the moon under
Whose deathless charm and astounding veracity
Like a contented being earth was more cordial than ever
Making a pavement kindlier for my feet drowsy
So that I could be home safe and happy at this late hour
And see in children's eyes no restlessness and anxiety
And in mom's eyes no displeasure and anger
And in wife's eyes no bitterness and acrimony
Happily I was home and within no time we were seated for
The dinner under way when the clock struck twelve precisely
Then while partaking of meals we heard someone knocking at the door
Oh, who is it at this hour I asked quietly
Silence after silence followed with no answer
And we each as a signal for silence touched the other's arm instinctively
Until a break from inarticulateness surprised us with something uttered indistinct and unclear
Though frightened and helpless holding my head high I walked unto the door eagerly
And asked repeatedly who is it and what do you want and who is there
When seemed stretching on long and wearisome interminably
With no answer, we alerted neighbors and police to interfere
Along muted rumblings and crashes that slowly died away
Then came up a voice broken and mutilated to warrant further conjectures
When things got too hot for him and he had to move or be nabbed,
police was nearby
There were trillion lights in the sky and smiling was the moon brighter
Beneath whose shimmering light and coolness was standing a frail and bruised and withered young man unarmed and fearful and frightfully
Asking for a glass of water though his eyes said more than that I could not decipher
People pushed him, slapped his face and called him by unpleasant names scornfully
When it seemed stars were not as twinkling as before
And the moon had left the night sky sojourning to another sky
While I served him a bottle of water and a blanket and police whisked him away into the blackness of night solemn where
I could see full of stars in his eyes and moon sleeping wistfully
And amid facades and alibis I couldn't comprehend his maneuver as not simple it looked as his manner