East Wind

by Madathil Rajendran Nair

Someone said
The East wind began blowing last night
I didn’t know, I was fast asleep

The coconut palms looked westward
When I awoke
The palmyras on the plains
Sang a vibrant song
Which I knew from childhood
That spoke of grandma fairy-tales
Kerosene lamps casting shadows on the walls
Kids listening with gleaming eyes
Before they retired to their smelly beds
Far away the wail
Of lonely trains on insolent rails

The East wind had in fact begun at midnight
Without my knowledge, I was asleep
Bringing in scents of incense burnt
At temples in the East
Their spires kissing the skies
Of champak, jasmine and tulsi leaves
Camphor fumes and sound of bells
Of a Dravidian past of yore
The mirth of waves afar
In the Bay of Bengal
Across the Palghat Pass
Where I live
Walled by the Western Ghats
On the South and North

Oh East wind, send me the silver clouds
Your children, to the kindergarten on the mounts
Where they would dance without cease
All day long and I would watch
With glee, my day already made

25-Nov-2013

More By : Madathil Rajendran Nair

Views: 1400 Comments: 6

Comments on this Poem

I doubt whether the present day children get a chance to experience this

Ramdas Menon
04-Dec-2013 12:33 PM

Nairji nice one took me back to my home surroundings and i really felt the wind fondling me .....nostalgia. Happy birthday dear nair ...

vijayan
02-Dec-2013 23:50 PM

Rajanji, you passed on a breeze through my mind. Excellent selection of words, good imagination make your work a pleasant one. Keep on writing.

R.C.Nair
29-Nov-2013 11:12 AM

Simple, sweet, beautiful!

Rian John
29-Nov-2013 09:14 AM

Madathilji, I am just watching in amazement, now a days, how your every seconds of life is turning into a celebration combining with loving memories and undeniable facts. For an ordinary person it would have been a lonely time with boredom.

Swaraswathy navil vilayadunna apooravam bhagiyamaril oru kavi......

Sathees Chnadran
28-Nov-2013 08:42 AM

Nair Uncle, This is blissfully written. Brings back fond memories for me. Thanks for writing this sweet poem.

Anu Krishnan
28-Nov-2013 06:34 AM