Rain
by Samartha
Vashishtha
Three
days in a row
it rained hard.
The sun went missing.
Umbrellas,
raincoats, waiting
all soaked.
Water gushed down the
slopes.
Alone, all day, I sat
floating peace messages
mounted
on paper-boats
hoping they would reach / the Sutlej.
Some of
them
you might find still
stuck in the bushes.
Next day
the papers
talked of a missile test.
That was the last time
I stepped out
in rain.
Courtesy Chandrabhaga, Cuttack (2001)
