The Growing City

This year too

we had scanty rainfall

scantier than the year last

with snowballs getting thinner

the city goes on growing



You can see

people standing

where once stood the trees

........

and yet

unlike trees

men cannot invite snowfalls

to visit them



The city goes on growing

growing like wilderness

with hands spread on the back of the jungle

one can see

a few mortals running

running yet ignoring

the call of the left out trees

instead of fog

the jungle is now enveloped in smoke



In this raging storm

while covering the glimmering wick

with his bare hands

the city climbs the bare mountain

toward the volcano

in the waiting



--Keshav Kumar

(Marathi poet)