Sound of Silence
written by: Shrubaboti Bose
@shrubaboti
At night when the city sleeps, finally quiet,
Leaves rustle softly, silhouettes swaying,
Whispering stories in strange tongues.
Perched on my window sill, still alien,
Their words remain, incoherent sounds,
Distinctly pronounced, carried by the wind.
Far in between, the cold breeze drifts in,
My toes involuntarily curl, mildly submitting,
Seeking warmth in the crook of my knees.
A late night drizzle, scattered away many twigs,
Here and there, brown, dark, they lay damp,
Resting on the soil, blossoms shed prematurely.
Underneath the lamp post, a stray cat lurked,
Twinkling eyes gazed up at me for a split second,
Before turning, swishing tail and vanishing.
Somewhere, in the distance, invisible to me,
Wings fluttered incessantly, crickets or cicadas,
I couldn’t tell, but the noise comforted me.
At night when the city sleeps, finally quiet,
I sit on my window, wide awake, listening,
To the sounds of silence, a strange tongue.
- Sound of Silence - February 16, 2021
