Song of Innocence

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I'm the same old tree you adored once
Not many years ago, you relished my presence
With chiaroscuro of dreams, with fruits and foliage.

Then the spring inspired, prolonged on its own
The rains brought us the colours of heaven
Dew drenched us to our skin, ticklish and chillsome.

Aha! You made me feel I should grow
Grow more and more to give you shadow
And then I grew tall, skyward yet earthy enough.

It's no mistake of mine, believe me
Any soul besotted that felt like singing
Came rushing to me, came running to me.

Singing is what they can't live without
Their moments of impulse even unknown to them
Soulful, they sang to me as I hummed along.

I gave them no reward, yet they sang
Their loveliest of tunes, lilting me to trance
The moon lost its way, the stars strayed on...

Moments gone, bit by bit, silent and somnolent
Eyes opened, but you were gone for long
Limbless, how can I grope in this wilderness?

I'm a stump, a hump in this craggy landscape
I can endure your curse, the trauma of being loveless
But tell me for once 'You're the innocent'.

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By
A. N. Nanda
Bhubaneswar
22-02-2008
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