The City of Darkness

K Radhakumar

There are many deaths
Among the elderly this winter
One of the coldest in recent years.
The incessant rain,
The steady drip, drip of water
And the sunless wintry days
They have a long weep together.
The clouds are gathering
And it’s not known why
Life feels trapped.
A rat
With its hind legs in a trap!
It’s beyond the poor animal
Why the trap is so powerful.
Why the trap is
Why

Life has become increasingly wintry
And there’s no light in the darkling sky.
There’s darkness on the horizon.
There’s no light
There’s no light
To lighten the dark
The deep, hidden depths.
The poor animal
With its leg in a trap
Will sink below the horizon.
Is death the end of everything
The final whistle of life?
After so many summers, autumns and springs
Why this sudden nihilistic vision of life?
Is it the thoughts
The wintry thoughts of an impotent mind
That has frozen the river of life?

From the cradle to the grave!
Not even a single line
Worth its weight in gold is written.
What a waste of time and energy!
Life passes far too quickly
Like the summer vacation holidays
Of childhood days.
Shine, O wintry sun!
Blow, O wintry breeze!
Take, O take the hollowness of life away;
Take, O take the kiss of death away.