Words

The sky is blue today
A very Indian Autumn blue;
Cloud wisps float in it,
Tagoresque in their rhythm!

The green of the trees
And of the grass
In white, yellow and gold,
Shine incandescent;
Yet pleasantly muted!

I should be happy, you know:
I usually am
On such incandescent Autumn days......
But not today.

Today I am not happy.
Not at all happy;
For you
Have turned your back on me!

Don’t know why,
Can’t ask why,
Why you have thus
Hemmed yourself within Walls;
Walls I can never scale.

"Why, why have you?"
I can’t help but ask
Again and again
Against your wordless Wall;
And then tired,
Of my own self !

Is it because you are hesitant to Give?

But Oh!
I haven’t asked Anything of you:
Not asked for Rain,
Nor for Clouds;
Neither for Sunshine
nor Stars;
Not even for flecks of Stardust
Or stray drops of Dew.....!

All I ever asked,
If one can ask unsaying:
Was just your Words......!

Was it all wrong then,
That asking?
Oh, but I thought Words were free.
Your Words,
All Yours to give.....!

But I was terribly wrong
Is it not
Wrong as wrong can be?
Words are not free.
Fettered by Propriety,
By Prudence and Pride...
Words have never been free......!

Free Words rattle Roots.
Usher Revolution.
Bring Ruin.

No,
I am too timid;
Too timid
To rattle Roots,
To usher Revolution,
To bring Ruin.

And so I have learnt
Now
Just like you

To Wall my Words...
To shackle, weigh, reign them in..
For my Words too
Must never never be free..........!