COLOURS OF THE HUMAN RAINBOW

It is the New Year’s Eve

And I am looking at the Earth;

There are numerous activities going on

As everyone says goodbye to the long-lived year.

There is a huge crowd in the city’s square

Loud music is on and the people are a-cheer

The countdown has begun

And they’re waiting for the clock to strike twelve

So they can hug and wish each other a Happy New Year!

In the cold night which is as dark as it is cold

A poor woman is sitting by the road

Cuddling her two children to give them some warmth

To celebrate the New Year, a blanket is all she wants;

She looks up at the milky moon and at the shimmering stars

That reflect in her eyes with promise and hope.

The air is split with the sound of crackers

This sudden departure from the silence of the night

Makes the bespectacled boy look up at the clock

The calculation in his book suspended in mid-course

It is the New Year…

“Will it help me achieve my dream?”

It is snowing on the rocky mountains up in the North

A troop of hundred soldiers is deployed;

To check infiltration, to guard the LOC and such, are their orders

No matter if blood is shed, orders are to be followed till their last breath;

An intrusion is detected and the soldiers fire

The clock struck twelve but no one noticed

The firing continued as many dropped dead

Was it the first minute of the New Year?

The television is on

The family is excitedly watching

The host count down the last few seconds

Grandma, grandpa, mamma and papa…everyone together,

Looking around, the little girl felt happy and smug;

It was a feeling she could not express

And that was just her gift for the New Year.

Away from home, away from family, two friends sat together

Sipping hot chocolate from their mugs

With their phones in their laps they waited for calls

Knowing well that their parents would call.

As the minute hand approached the top of the clock

They looked at each other and though away from home they didn’t feel lonely

They hugged each other and it was their friendship that they gifted each other,

And said, “A Happy New Year!”

In the small hut, covered with a blanket but still shivering

A farmer lay on the hard floor

He looked around and though uncomfortable, still felt happy

To see his wife and children sleep well on the charpoy

He knew it was the last day of the year

But there was no countdown as there was no clock

With an intuitive sense he said a short prayer

Thanking God for all that he had

Wishing for healthy crop in the ensuing year.

Myriad images…still all seem composite;

It was the New Year’s Eve

…I was looking at the ‘Colours of the Human Rainbow.’

  ~Nupur~

26-12-05