So many Diwalis
have come and gone,
same old wishes,
same old pledges
hoping for peace,
and love, and light
(not noise, thank you so much)
for something to change,
for goodwill to appear,
pollution to vanish
life easier to bear
for the poor and the lonely
on the edges of our world...
(My inner cynic
has decided to relax today,
and let my upbeat self emerge.
Hoping doesn't hurt,
or does it, if it remains futile?)
At night the city glimmers and gleams
like a bride with glittering ornaments...
I overhear a young boy tell his friends,
a bunch of them bursting crackers
'My mom says she is anti-pataka,
but my Nanu let me buy crackers'
and hope dies down again.
But this Diwali morning,
despite the hazy sky,
the pigeons are still waiting
for me to fill up their water trough
and stubborn hope bestirs from its slumber.
I wish, and hope, and pray
that human beings learn to love
each other, all living beings, our Mother Earth
today and every day.
Happy Diwali.
