When was it that we grew up <br /> And these silences replaced <br /> The innocent games we played? <br /> May be we can go back to the <br /> Fragrant lemon tree of our courtyard <br /> And ask it if it saw the silence cancer spreading <br /> Or maybe we can ask the bulbul <br /> That gobbled up the ripe fruits of the curry patta tree <br /> If it saw such times coming. <br /> <br /> <br /> We should also ask the old Gulmohr tree <br /> Whose flowers were as red as our lips <br /> As we sat sucking our ice popsicles in its shade <br /> We can also ask the silvery mighty river <br /> If it had ever buried such silences in his breast <br /> And unknowingly passed on to us <br /> As we stood knee-deep in the water <br /> To immerse the idols and fill the <br />Small tumblers made of brass. <br /> <br /> Finally we have to visit our dream tree <br /> Where we had hung our gossamer dreams <br /> The silences had not bothered us then <br /> We were luminous suns scaring away shadows <br /> But there is darkness in our souls now <br /> The shadows might have climbed high <br /> And knocked down a few dreams <br /> We have find its roots, plant it again <br /> And never let it die.<br /><br />Kakoli Mukherjee<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/replanting-dream-tree/
