Sunrise Along River Shores

A boatman casts his net far and wide, rippling the surface,

his silhouette slowly gains form, touched by the morning rays.

The boat drifts gently into the thinning mist, into toils awaiting,

Splashing sounds of its travel soon lost to the cuckoo’s singing.

A shepherd roams the banks, taking his flock along,

Searching for greener pastures, softly humming a song.

The bleating sheep, munching cattle leave prints in the dew soaked ground,

As the pleasant silence soon gives way to human sounds.

The engines coming to life, the bustling markets,               

Hawkers, vendors, squatters, pickpockets searching for their targets,

Casting long shadows as the sun slowly climbs atop its perch,

Morning prayers and bells ringing in every temple and church.

And as the placid waters turn to waves, glistening in sunlight,

The moon lays ensconced amidst clouds; sole remnant of the night.

In front us yet beyond our ken, so engrossed are we in daily chores,

The ephemeral beauty that lingers; of a sunrise along the river shores..



©Copyright Darshil A Shastri