Dr Sunil Sharma-Inner Void

Inner Void

Inner Void
---Dr. Sunil Sharma

Inner void is---
The dust-laden acacia tree,
Standing
Solitary
In a nook of
The dry forest
Of
Ranthambore tiger sanctuary
Of Rajasthan.

It is a hot warm June evening,
When you---
Detached,
Unnoticed
And lonely---
Leaning on the parapet,
Watch the throbbing street,
From the unlit terrace
Of your 13th-floor tiny flat.

It is most poignant,
When your young
Pre-teen soft hand holds
The strong hand of your
Beloved dad,
Now strapped to a support system in a costly
Private bed,
Of a pricey small hospital,
The oxygen mask slapped
On his wide, once-smiling, gentle and radiant face,
Your impotent tears mingling with
The graying hairs of his
Unfeeling broad hand.

The inner void is---
Coming back from work,
And
Expecting boisterous kids
But surprisingly
Finding the house completely empty,
As the summer holiday has begun
And realizing that they all left two days’ ago
For the far-off native land
Then, at that moment,
You feel like your aged parents,
Who always cry,
When you leave a small cozy childhood home.