Moonlit night

It stretched down from the heavens,

Moonlit night against the canopy of stars.

The shining full-moon globe

Lit up the dark sky.

And the Orion stood guard

Just like the Warrior who fought his battles

In some distant prehistoric past,

As we wage our battles with life

Day and night.

The moon is a symbol

Of our hopes, aspirations, desperation,

A symbol of love and longing,

A talisman of life’s little pleasures,

A companion of madness, melancholy,

A relic of hope that never dies.

There are those who have embraced insanity

In the light of the moon.

The cold wind blew

From the edge of the plateau,

Caressing the skin.

The sound of the solitary bell

Rang from the temple;

And then wafted down

To the distant, silent valley.

Lights in the valley below

Reminded me of the fleeting fireflies

I used to chase as a child.

Forest fires punctuated the distant landscape,

Here, in life’s own cauldron

The fires rage day and night.

Laughter in the moonlight,

Mingling with the sound of the wind.

Reckless abandon,

Happiness, madness;

Will this time ever come again?

If it does not,

I will be glad to live with the memory

Of this moonlit night.

(Written in memory of a moonlit night spent with friends at Panchgani)