Neon – Vikramjit Ray

Thirty Four Hundred, and Forty four,
How much higher would it go ?

——————————————

The lonely boots dragged along the dust
As the Colonel made his way.
Along with him, a small boy did walk,
As he had, for many a day

The leeches clung on, and crickets sang, But
what cleansed them was blood and gore,
For the forest hadn’t been too kind on them
And neither had the war.

This war they said, like any other before,
Would for long, linger around
And while the colonel moved slow, unsure of fate,
The death toll did leap and bound.

Hardly had they stepped across the border,
When their heart did skip a beat,
They’d been taught to hide, to aim, to shoot,
But they hadnt learnt to retreat.

And though the new land did say hello,
Greetings didn’t quite seem right,
For in wars like these, only death had a place,
As did dear sorrow’s plight.

The enemy’s land did always thrill,
and tempt the colonel’s delight,
But all was well until they saw
What seemed nothing but ‘them lights’

Them lights, them lights, them neon lights
Wouldn’t ever hurt a kid,
Yet still these harmless neon lights,
Had a mind of their own, they did.

And soon the old man’s thoughts, not eyes
Were blinded by the light.
Though, With questions, his disbelieving mind did flirt
inevitably, reality did bite.

The lights, joined by voices, soon everywhere,
Sounds of feet shuffling in the sand,
And as darkness, violated, did complain,
The colonel clutched the young boy’s hand

Them lights, them lights, them neon lights
Wouldn’t hurt a kid,
Yet still these harmless neon lights,
Had a mind of their own, they did.

There weren’t such things as formalities,
With those across ‘the line’,
And sure enough, the gunshots rang,
As blood, with contempt did sign.

The two shadowy figures, then did aimlessly slump,
The grasp slowly loosened, once tight
Then silence did speak, as darkness lunged,
Waving goodbye neon lights.

———————————————————–

Them lights, them lights, them neon lights
Never failed to fix,
A life or two-The enemy’s,but so what ?
Thirty Four Hundred, and Forty six.

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