These hills of slow time
Stand steadfast as rocks
I think they are immutable
Indifferent to time
They have a stoic resignation
But with every morning
I can see their head, eyes and ears
They are human as you or me
Can’t you see?
These hills of slow time are old
Very old like the ancient monoliths
That are strewn in this land
Scattered across the hill town
These hills and the monoliths
I have seen as a child and now
With wonderment I still look at them
Wondering who created them and how
Civilisations crossed their paths
This is the story of this land
As the hills lie in stupor
And the rocks sit in contemplation
I am bewildered by time and its slow
Movement among these grief stricken hills
As they witnessed violence, death and
Blood, but I can’t believe that the hills
Are tarnished, as thick layers of fog
Create a human beauty
And the monoliths were my childhood favourites, as I thought who erected them, and why?
These hills of slow time, preserve moments
Of the past and time that cannot simply
Be ephemeral, and when we are not there
Others will continue to write poems about them, their lyricism and untainted beauty
Give me one more chance to love them.
,
Ananya S Guha
Shillong
INDIA
Ananya S Guha lives in Shillong in North East India. His poems have appeared in both print and electronic formats, in India and abroad. He has been writing and publishing poetry for over forty years.
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