Highway to Nowhere
We travelled along the rainy highway-------- Dim lights fleeting by; It was an oppressive blue darkness Underneath a menacing grey sky. A chilly wet wind blew all along Coconut leaves engaged in endless strife Ancient trees bent by the ruthless downpour Fearing for their precious life. Nestlings cried pitifully in the storm From trees lying uprooted and dead A lone lamppost stood silent witness As old paths were blocked and new ones made. Not another soul near of far, The rickety car skidding over slippery stone Huts and village teashops flew by As did turrets of temples unknown. There was perhaps someone at the temple A lone priest with the evening lamp? Or perhaps the temple was giving shelter To some hapless rain-drenched tramp. Our headlights cut through the deluge with temerity Raindrops sparkling on the window pane We travelled from one darkness to another Fleeting like someone aimless, insane. There was a momentary flash of lightning, The landscape bathed in an eerie blue But then, the darkness jumped back like a vampire Erasing the world from our view. Was there a destination to reach, or Was it just a headless journey to hell? There was no one to ask or follow If only the stormy winds could tell. Our watches had stopped ticking Our smartphones without tower, We were play balls in the hands of monsoon fury Mere rattle in the hands of a higher power.
Dr. Rudrajit Paul
Dr. Rudrajit Paul is a consultant physician in Kolkata with a passion for creative writing. He has published poems and short stories in Bengali and English in many magazines.