When you need to dig the sand
to behold your river’s wizened face-
when your town folds up its crow wings
in the scarlet dawn-
when you wistfully remember
all those invisible sparrows
that once jingled in the trees by the roadside-
when rains remain a distant dream-
when your thoughts are scorched,
your words are sapped of their soul-
when the day is dark
and night is the norm
and you are voiceless
facing realities-
you know what silence is-
Posted for Mary’s prompt Silence at What’s Going On Blog
(At present we are in the middle of a heat wave & an election wave sweeping our country.)
sumanar/lekha 
when your town folds up its crow wings / in the scarlet dawn- what a stellar line, Sumana… woah! And is the Hooghly drying up in this scorching summer? My memory of it is is grey and full, the boats bobbing under the bridge in the sunset… sigh! Let us dream together of rain.
Not exactly the Hooghly, but the Atrayee river in our town, Balurghat, North Bengal.
You have pictured so well what the heat wave is like. One phrasing I especially like is:
“When you need to dig the sand
to behold your river’s wizened face-“
That, along with your other images really evokes the intensity of the heat! I become very warm just READING your poem! May the oppressive heat end soon!
I can feel the heat in the wizened earthy face of the dry riverbed, and feel sad for the poor, wilted birds, too hot to chirp. Especially vivid is the line “when your town folds up its crow wings in the scarlet dawn.” Wonderful writing, Sumana. Stay as cool as you can.
I know what ferocious heat is like…a killer ! Hope it rains soon….we are going through floods down under…wish we could send you some rain. Take care. Tip… keep water in a spray bottle near you and spray the back of your neck and behind your knees. No this is not a loony Aussie joke…it really works ! Rall
Thank you, Rall.
Some stunning lines in your silence poem, Sumana, especially:
‘when your town folds up its crow wings
in the scarlet dawn’
and
‘when your thoughts are scorched,
your words are sapped of their soul’.
This sounds spirit-sapping. Nothing like extreme heat and fevered politics to make a person feel lost.
there is a forlorn beauty in this poem and i can feel your emotions in this this. Lovely poem.
Sumana,
Those kinds of silences, from nature are indeed a warning call.I believe that there are severe droughts at present in some areas.Very scary times and the silences make that situation quite clear…
A nightmarish vision, Sumana, composed of so many brilliantly evocative lines that make us see and feel the heat. Hope the silent misery of the heat wave ends soon. 🙏🏽
Ooh, this is powerful and somber and wonderfully done. The imagery is perfectly affecting.