Hide and Seek - Part 6 - Rhyming & Non Rhyming Poems by Nikhil Parekh - HTML preview

6. FIREWOOD AND BEER

When I lit a fire in the peak of sweltering summer; with the Sun dazzling to a fiery radiance in the sky,

Amalgamating pieces of dry logwood  and scores of incongruously shaped leaves,

Adding several sheets of crumpled paper along with a plethora of dilapidated brick,

The conflagration caught fumes rapidly; with amber flames leaping at electric speeds towards the clouds,

However I soon extinguished the blaze splashing gigantic buckets of river water; as I could no longer bear the tumultuous heat; with large beads of sweat trickling down my nape.

When I lit a fire under the ominously dark sky; with the thunder clouds partially obliterating my gaze,

The Sun playing hide and seek like a frivolous maiden; appearing for flash seconds; then disappearing again for marathon hours of time,

An ambience of ethereal blackness encompassing the atmosphere; with birds making their journeys homewards,

The majestic peacock spreading the plumage of its kingly feathers; to mesmerizing semicircles,

The fumes no doubt rose to unprecedented heights; however they soon subsided in entirety; as torrential showers of rain came pelting down.

When I lit  a fire midway through autumn; with tropical trees sporadically shedding their foliage,

Gathering dead chunks of dilapidated timber; impregnating them with a bulky sheaf of burnt grass blades,

The tepid stream waters gently striking my dreary toes; profoundly accentuated ripples causing high rising waves,

Melodious chirping of the nightingale permeating the air; with a conglomerate of enchanting sounds,

The fumes had a merry time as they swirled in the air; however I annihilated the same; beating them frantically with gunny bags; as they interfered with the moderately cool air hitting my eyes.

And when I lit a fire amidst the snow clad mountain; in the acridly blowing breeze of chilly winter,

Painstakingly managing to ignite the lumber twigs and leaf; rekindling it incessantly with intermittent applications of the rake,

Shielding it from the irrevocable onslaught of gusty winds; camouflaging it under a canvas tent,

A drum replete with lager beer placed by my shivering persona; I felt warm waves of heat instantly soothing the array of goose bumps formed on my skin,

Expressed gratitude from the inner most core of my heart; to the firewood and beer for saving my life from the freezing cold