free like air
and the little girls
in the neighbourhood
laughing as they play
in the evening
and the sky smiling
at me its blue melting
into white into dusk
and Ben Webster
on his horn blowing
so coolly I feel
I am floating in water
though I’m lying down
in my bed
and I become the music
the golden slow notes
spreading till I fill up
the universe and glow
in bliss.
is turning my surroundings
to paradise
green trees grey blue mountains
and the blazing sun
with the bird chirp
make it magic
and a few days ago
I saw a giant Malabar squirrel
maroon and brown and black
cross the road and later that evening
it hung motionless between the branches
of a bare tree for long barely moving
and now the wind is special like it is
desperately trying to tell a story
and these little girls go past my house
happy and running and soon
another little girl goes
beep beep beep beep and I smile.
have this long conversation
after which there is silence
and then suddenly the birds
burst out chirping
making rosebushes
in my mind
and earlier when I was
on my terrace
I heard
my gate open
and when I got down
these two little
neighbour girls
were collecting
small coconuts
fallen on the ground
and they smiled at me
and I smiled back at them
and went up my stairs.
this afternoon
two little girls
talk nearby
and I think of the
golden forest
beyond
how the tigers
run and catch
their prey
and eat them
how the fish
swim in the
green Periyar river
and the leaves
of the trees
how they
make love
to each other
with that enchanted
sound of deep delight
as the wind blows
through them
and I think
of how wonderful
it makes me feel
to just think of it
and how ecstatic
it must be for them
when suddenly
there is a
breeze blowing here
in my courtyard
and I can hear
the leaves
of my coconut trees
say laughing
yes Dominic
you are right
it makes us feel
so light
telling us life
is burning bright.
in the wind
in my mind
in the songs
the little girls
nearby sing
and the trees
in the distance
sway in the breeze
and I feel
so relaxed
I feel their
leaves on
my body
caressing me
and I know
this is magic
and I hold
the golden sun
in my hands
and smile
at it in joy.
Dominic Alapat 