i will walk to the wine-drunk sea


i will roam through purple courtyards 
made drowsy by mohua-flower incense
past the face silhouetted 
on a lighted window
i will walk to the wine-drunk sea

past the lane with a naked-bulb lamp - 
stark, like dreams ending
amid the screech of distant brakes
i will walk to the darkening sea 

behind a beige door, they talk of love 
"who's there?" they ask, a tremor in their voice. 
i will not answer.   let the stars brew darkness 
intoxication like foam on the waves
i will walk to the wine-drunk sea

overhearing snatches of tv news
- yet another criminal set free
i flicker in and out of window-grills
on my way to the whispering sea

tough, i crumble mountains to dust
soft, i undulate like a melody on a flute
billowing out like hair in the wind 
squeezing through crooked channels
twisting, bending, 
i will run to the restless sea

far far away the stars have been lit 
the night light is playing a waltz
and the waves are calling me
to a crystal shore in the moonlight
i will walk to the wine-drunk sea. 


amit mukerjee
june 22, 2006
kanpur