The Winds of Nagercoil

Like being hit by a speeding truck

And then, like a lover’s  gentle caress

The winds of Nagercoil blow

From the east, the west and all around.

Among the grass, the dragonflies veer-

Swing up and away and then twist

To drop: pummelled by the winds, they

Grapple with the twigs as if on a joyride.

The ponds ripple; little waves rise

Like young girls shivering at their lovers’ kiss.

The crows and doves like drunkards

Stagger in the air; the tall palms sway

Their leaves chatter, huddled close like kids

The green paddy, as far as the eye can see-

Undulating waves of a vast sea.

Then – the winds would drop

As suddenly as it blew.

Dead calm – and you wonder

If the winds were a dream,

A hallucination.

Nagercoil suits me fine.

Because, within me too,

The winds blow, blow, blow –

And die - all of a sudden...

*************  Balachandran V. Trivandrum. 11.11.2015