WHEN DESCENDS THE WINTER......

WHEN DESCENDS THE WINTER.....

When the famished Rains, like a fatigued farmer, retire to sleep,

The exuberant Winter like a bejeweled bride slowly descends to peep;

As the intensity of the cold waves unnoticed stare piercingly to creep,

Young Couples, friends and students Embark on many a joy ride and pleasant trip!

As the temperature, like a wing shot eagle, begins to fall and freeze,

The chilly winds, like the swashbuckling Sehwag, get set to bat on the crease;

Myriad foreign birds throng to sojourn in Chilika, until the stern Summer comes,

The idlers leave their cosy beds late, despite reprimands, for their lingering slumbers!

Varied greens, coriander leaves, marigolds and vegetables hasten to feast,

They grow by leaps and bounds as if to vie for the Crown under the munificent mist;

Beauty pageants are partaken by blankets, sweaters, mufflers and woollen jackets

Happiness, like the gold coins, prevails at homes, and shower in the markets!

Oh! The engaged grooms with their Fairies board the ferries of love to marry,

The elated peasants, like the victorious soldiers, load their carts with crops to carry;

Sweets of Samba Dashami, and cakes of New Year lead the festivities in abundance,

Basking in the sun as lambs bleat and prance, and calves frolic is a golden chance!

Oh! How much merriment brings Winter to sow smile seeds every nook and corner!

But, who has paid an empathetic glimpse at Nature’s hidden fear and unseen tear?

Besides shouldering the weight of mountains of shivering and shuddering ice,

By the wantonly bred Pollution Devils She is shred precariously into many a slice!

Unless She is treated with unalloyed love, undiluted devotion and unmatched care,

All the living organisms on Earth will surely be one day the species extinct and rare!

Let’s all take an oath to protect Mother Earth

To restore and revive future descendants’ mirth.

 Copyright ©️ Dr  Shankar D Mishra, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India  21.12.2021