Sea And Me Poem by Anil Kumar Panda

Why does the sea call me again and again
Why its sound does reverberate in my mind
Like the sound of wind in my courtyard.
I have traveled from the east to the west
I have wandered over valleys and dales
Over plains with dancing crops and over
Fields with farmers tilling soil with sweating
Bodies. I have slept on the side of pavements
In search of shelter. I have drunk tea in stalls,
And eaten bread for days to survive. The
Sound lives in me and travelled with me.
Why do the sea shells get stuck between
My fingers when I played with the sands.
As if wishing to be companions to my dead body.
I have often gone to sit on the sea shore
Watching the tides rising and falling like
Wounded soldiers fighting their last battles.
And the sea turned blood with a red wound
Disappearing at its verge inviting darkness.
The sea is in me like a lullaby sung many
Years ago when I used to sleep in her lap.