The Play-ground

A silhouette of-

A man and a kid-

(At the backdrop:

A dark sky-you can ever imagine!

Ablaze and that ghostly fumes amid…)

 

Man: “… what you are up to, my boy?

And where are the folks of your kind?”

Boy: “… I am in between the hide-and-seek, Sir.

And they must be hiding behind!”

Man: (Pauses and inquires)

“ With no-merry-go-rounds;

Is this your play-ground?”

Boy:  (He smiles at his best.

That twinkle in his eyes-

The God’s abode-

He sighs) 

“Yes, Sir.”

Man: (Turns violent!

And he explains!)

“…, 2,3,4,5… and so forth!

And this count shall never end-

You go and hide, my boy-

Somewhere safe…

And I will seek for you!

I promise you- I won’t

Faint- if I see,

Your mutilated body!”

 

 (The boy stands perplexed and scared

And that man continues…)

 

“The toy of these centuries-

Can blast-big, my boy!

That sky- you behold-

(Points towards the dark-thundering sky!)

And watch out!

Those burning mass of balls-

Blessed from the heaven!

Aren’t the asteroids-

You wondered about!

And that shall hit this ground!

And you may die!

Yes, it’s the same firmament, my boy-

Where the stars were safe!”

 

(Boy’s legs tremble-

And he tries to escape,

The man- clutches his collar!

And  he explains…)

 

“I can see the puddle-

Of no mud and water!

But,

Of this blood-

As red as vermillion

As innocent as your eyes!

Your play-ground seems to me-

A battlefield!”

 

( Thud of bombardment…

Fills the ambiance!

And the time halts

And hushes…)

 

Man:  (Giggles)

“That’s not the cracker, my tiny folk!

That you play around with

 Hope you are not hurt!

And I will not allow-

Someone else to do so!”

 

Boy: (That twinkle in his eyes-

And that smile in that tiny lips,

Fades away-

Like the distant sunset!)

“Let me go, Sir!”

 

Man: (Fiercely holds that little folk and announces!)

“I am sorry-

I am using your play-ground,

To play-

The game that shall never end!

My folk,

That heaven is the safest place

For you…

(Points to sky, again)

 

[A sound of gunshots,

And the boy falls down,

The blood rushes-

To fill that puddle,

And the counts never end!

“…, 2,3,4,5,… and so forth!]

-Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel "Hridayaninadini"

Author's Note

I dedicate this poem-
To those innocent souls-
Who- are somewhere-
In the universe!

Reviews

[Kanchan Ojha "Eureka"]

Ahh ! very powerful words Sanjeeta. Thanks for writing

[Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel "Hridayaninadini"]

:) Kanchan

[Mary C]

This poem is of such simple, gentle elegance ... It seeps into the heart like that last ray of sunshine

[Dayran]

A game of hide and seek ... in a war ... that's certainly accurate ... Nice ...

[Leslie Philibert]

An impressive, unusual write, in the form of a radio play or filmscript, with impressive syntax and loads of good ideas, I think this is excellent, something new..

[Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel "Hridayaninadini"]

Thanks Leslie.