We Are Simple Village Folks Poem by Anil Kumar Panda

When birds move in circle
Above temples domes
The folks, from fields, sweating
Return to their homes
When shadows lie straight
Upon fields and dales
Clouds leave behind them
Leave slender smoky trails
When holding pails on waists
Lasses trod to the spring
Children run past ground
Leaving marbles and swing
When smoke rises in columns
From rooftops towards the sky
At the edge of thick grove
Last streak of light fades away
When silence spreads its wings
Upon streets and steps
Lamps are lit and hung from roofs
Walls hold shadows of weird shapes
When before eyes of gods
Folks ask for forgiveness
For the sins done to come out
From life’s confusing mess
When from the stoic hills
Wind flows cold and thin
Cows doze in the sheds of mud
Dogs lie in corners and whine
When with glamour of a bride
Moon begins its deliberate flight
In its charm meteors rush down
To die in an immense height
When sprinkling water on faces
Mothers wash away fatigue of the day
With folded hands family lines up
To mutter hymns and pray
When verandahs overflow with
Stories of ghosts, love and fairies
The marching of princes to kingdoms
Of lovers with medals and glories
When night surreptitiously drapes
A blanket of sleep on the eyes
Saying prayers of the parting on beds
Simple folks bid the world good-byes.