Nabina Das
Forever Rain
Forever Rain
Once the heat climbed down and clouds cooled the rally, they prayed: O forever rain!
What no one saw is how the festoons fluttered to shreds as though drops in forever rain.
The mailboxes don’t paint themselves red anymore. But why? Pallid in negligence they wait
That’s the answer that caught lovers unawares – no letters written – awash in forever rain.
To the east there is the sun’s home, from where we crawl diurnally to reach our little goals
True, summer holds us captive, our fruits and farms from overflowing, until there’s forever rain.
When we were strangers – remember? – it was bliss because I didn’t need much to imagine
And now? We don’t meet – having met a few and futile times – but discuss only a forever rain.
Che on Lee tee shirts, Ambedkar on RSS billboards, revolution on social media trolling us by
Tell me where trees go to rot, rivers migrate, farmers commit suicide for lack of forever rain?
Yes, of course it’s a travesty when you want to hear me sing, and my words seem to lack glee –
For love to come dropping in slowly, Navi, if not in the sun, you’ll have to soak in forever rain.