Back to the hills again

In winters
The water of the lake
Becomes colder and turns into a mirror
And the stars, sun, moon
All float on its surface
The boats shiver and bob
As the wind blows
And the city lights set the stage
For a tryst they so eagerly await
The nights are cold and long


The bells at Naina Devi
Punctuated by azaan
And underlined by shabad
Rise in a celestial crescendo
Announce the arrival of the day
The hills covered with fallen oak leaves
Wake up covered with a sheet of frost
And shake off their winter cold
As the dawn drift into the valley lazily
They sway in harmony to greet each other
And shed more leaves on the roads we tread on
Waiting for us to come back together

The sun warms up the day
And the city comes to life
Cars, buses, rickshaws
All create a deafening pandemonium
Children are at home as school are closed
On the flats several Yorkers are bowled
Several sixes are hit
Children play endlessly and exhaust themselves
The hill watches them all,
The trees the lake
All watch them and smile
But wonder sometimes where we are and how are we doing.

As the evening sets in,
Once again the bells at Naina Devi
The shabad and Azan
Rise together in a divine crescendo
And then silence falls
No crickets, no cicadas
No movement
No birds no butterflies
The city sleeps
And the stars and the moon
And the city lights
All alight on the mirrored waters of the lake
Waiting for us to return.