Elemental Poem by O Sudhir Janardhanan

The fire, put down by the sun
Body feels the heat run
Over the raging clouds of sand
Look defeat, I age, as I stand
With nowhere to go
The mirage of my mind
Takes me away, without any bind

The air, hot as it blows
Suffer it on my skin, as it flows
It comes back more in a rush
To ruffle my hair with distress as such
Sharp breaths, in it go
It blows away after its course
To repeat the tease, without any remorse

The water, to the splash cool
Hits, breaks the reverie pool
Sweat drizzle the eyes open
Blood and tears mingle in the sand oven
Wander, why I did not go
Wherein my minds traverse
Answers cross, within psyche diseased discourse

The earth, under my feet expand
Fear of things unseen, I cannot understand
They hover over my senses dense
My sinews are all gnarled and tense
From ashes to ashes, dust to dust
The chant, an echo louder in my head
This time there is fear and death, I dread