A Never Ending Night
Biological entities or angels of God; who are we?
Ten times two, youth, we set to the island.
If day here is pleasant freedom and lost in wilderness,
Why not night?
A simple request from boatman; we smiled mockingly as
he joined his hands to worship the sea.
Oh, the superstitious beings of the world!
On island, same ritual... again!
Why did we think emancipation is disregarding advice?
Twilight, we asked boatman to leave.
Festivities and fun took the toll,
we drank our fill, fished, grilled, relished
and embraced soothing glistening waves,
boasting an exhibition of muscles and ability.
Love beckoned, lovers sought conducive corners;
Darker part of the darkness was exciting, inland.
Why question beliefs and stories of the night?
In the water, moon was painting us silver...
A gasp and a screech... the spell broke and shattered!
It went past somebody and brushed past my friend,
He sunk and everybody was shouting
I stared nonplussed, my mind cried “Shark!”
Actually, I was really shouting and crying!
What was the growing little quiver inside my heart?
“There’s no shark here!” I stopped short, dumb.
We wade to the beach in panic, my friend staggered out and collapsed.
We carried him to the camp and examined him with a torch.
No blood, no bruises...
We helped him get warm when somebody called us out.
Two couples were running like mad.
One saw a boat approaching the island from other side.
It was not our boat...we stood fearful and trembling.
Suddenly it sunk down!
One of us shouted for help in the water.
Some of us rushed to her rescue...she sunk.
We clustered; my mind was going ashtray.
Does evolution meant disregarding past, to us?
Everybody was counting our number; once, twice, thrice….twenty!
A cock crowed, once…twice...thrice; from where?
I peered at my watch, it was three: Relief!
As we trod to the camp, one stubborn broke the ice.
He pulled out a bottle; we drank to the music and danced.
I looked at my watch and stayed transfixed.
It was one in the morning!
I shook it and checked with others.
Four...,One,....Midnight!
What was this maze?
Oh! Why did we not pay attention to what it was
rather than theorising in self-defence?
Music stopped dead and we froze.
The moon was in its initial position.
If in logic, zero and one are as important,
Who are we to separate science and superstitions?
The night decided never to end…..
Copyright © Sunita U.D Palawon | Year Posted 2017
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