Jasmine...... Poem by RAVIKIRAN ARAKKAL

it was stuck on
A stub of stem,
With a great fresh
Fragrance all around,
In the middle of night,
Spreading for yards
Beyond, like life
Is just another fragrance
It brought to the world,
During the day,
It offered honey
To the bees, butterflies
Smiling all the while
With petals like teeth,
Slowly swaying in the wind,
It's smell a heady scent,
Not leavimg the nostrils
For hours together,
The memory lingering
Like that of a fairy
Seen once in a lifetime,
Jasmine lived on
For a short while
But with a presence
That was almost permanent.

Ravikiran Arakkal