Poem: The Day After — December 5, 2023

The Day After the Storm — Cyclone Michaung grazed the city I live in, Chennai in South India, which reminded me of the past. Life springs a day forward, with blue skies and bright sunshine. A true display of nature cutting humans to size yet bringing hope with a brutal display of tough love. This beautiful orange hibiscus bloomed in my balcony garden and was photographed by Anirudh Narayanan. A, capturing the true essence of this poetry series.

This poem is a brutal reminder of the spoils across the city and lives disrupted.

Poem: The Day After — December 5, 2023

Orange hibiscus soaking in the sunshine — Anirudh Narayanan A

First — the chirpy bird song
And of course –
The raspy ravens
How I love to
Listen to them again

Broken bridges
Ripped telephone lines
Fallen electric poles
The warriors still battling
No Internet yet

A walk about the campus
Trees with broken limbs
Brutally plucked away
Fatigued trees still now
Wet leaves folded in humility

A beautiful tree it was once
Now slanting ominously
What about the walkers
By the time I return
It turns into neatly chopped wood

Little nestlings wet
Does not matter now
For they are sleeping well
Forever, now, forever
Their parents not around

Again- the chirpy bird song
And of course –
The raspy ravens
How I love to
Listen to them again

A pause in the downpour
brings the morning calm (again)
A clear blue sky
Floating fluffy foams
doze of bright sunshine

The soft touch of the breeze
The shiny green leaves
still, and don’t quiver

An orange hibiscus
Blooms, fresh and innocent
A new-born knows no past
Just today with bright sunshine
A new day to look forward

The still puddle now clear
A mirror of the blue heavens above
Innocent pools now
Just right for little children

Again- the chirpy bird song
And of course –
The raspy ravens
How I love to
Listen to them again

But…
Electricity back in the city
Gadgets guzzling to life
Chime with reminders of work
Texts, pictures, and videos
Urging to get on with life
I am just one of them

Folks, heaven is here and back
For the dead will be buried
Broken will be fixed or forgotten
The day after…
Life springs a day forward.

~Ashok Subramanian © 2023