In a late summer afternoon

a poem by Arijit Mukherjee

The clouds cover the western sky and the sun is about to set,
and the green of the grass has evaporated into the air.
A hazy yellow lets me see no further than midway across the river,
where an abandoned boat tied to a pole floats on the water.
The intoxicating air carries an unknown fragrance,
and I throw pebbles on the river and watch the ripples flow.
A sudden soft breeze made me realize that I am alone,
it’s too dark to play and all my friends have gone home.
Surrounded by tall dark trees with heads held high against the sky,
I am obscured from any intruder to my privacy.
I lost the time long ago, but from the faint sunlight I can tell
that the day is over and they are ringing the temple bell.
I have to get back home to finish my homework,
but I don’t want to go before sunset, and it’s dark.
So I sing my favourite song softly without disturbing the silence,
the gurgling sound of the river, the wind without turbulence.