Picture in Sepia

By Pragya Bajpai

SEPIA PICTURE

The monsoon is here 
but where do I tie the ropes of my swing 
The trees are missing

The hot summer is back 
but where do I search for shade 
the land is cracking and the trees are missing

The birds are migrating 
searching for a branch to build a nest
They are tired of flying but the trees are missing

I pull out a sepia picture from my pocket
taken thirty years ago
where I'm eating marshmallow 
standing by the lake under the tree shade
waiting for my turn to swing
I'm gazing at the nest 
where a bird is hatching eggs 

I look at the picture again and wonder 
if I've come at the wrong time or
I've come to a wrong place
I don't belong to this dry lake

Pragya Bajpai, Ph.D. is serving at the National Defence Academy, Pune. She has authored a collection of poems and has edited 4 anthologies celebrating the armed forces. pragyabajpai@gmail.com Instagram: pragyabajpai29

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