Winter

Home, Shillong

Winter

Warm insides and cold outsides

Like inside a dream

Winter is a family affair

And a heart’s fill

Of peace, love and care

On crisp, early mornings

I watch children play

Kicking pine-cones on dewy fields

And scribbling names

On foggy windshields

Warm, abundant sunshine

Careless country music

Sip the morning ‘liqueur’ tea

As sparrows tip-toe

Nimble and free

So clean and fresh

Everything seems washed

By a blissful monsoon

Such is the beautiful iridescence

Of a careless winter noon

The afterglow of tangerine sunsets

From wooden verandas

Children playing in the lawn
The ecstasy of youth
So lively, so withdrawn

Mom serves hot food

A family watches the television

Boa curls under the table

Home sweet home
This life is like a fable

The night's warmth

Of cozy blankets and soft pillows

This is where I belong 

My hometown

My folk song, Shillong

- Sayan Chakravarty
Shillong, 2006

Pine cones, Shillong