May The Fire In Me Never Burn Out

By Ravi Ranganathan

True, these are drab and dreadful days

Corona days, lockdown days; doused by day’s fire

You want to end such listlessness and quietly retire

In the night; but nights too are deeply dreary in all ways!

You are afraid that your passion for life will burn out

Within you; this forced house arrest is depressing

You don’t go out; you need  to ‘maintain’  social distancing

You feel the seeds of indolence sown in you will soon sprout!

Blame it on virus, on some glutton’s reckless indulgence

To consume what should not have been consumed.

News of death and spread of pandemic has set the decadence

Rumours  are thick and strong; emotions get fumed.

If not cultivated and nurtured, fire in me might burn out

Fire to live, fire to laugh, fire to involve in all things

Fear to lose the tune; thankfully, I don’t believe in shutout 

Let me rekindle the cinders within, those undying inner springs.

My nocturnal bird within will not sing a song of despair

My ember will not allow even rains to douse my inner flame

Such is the fire of life, such the undying spirit that resides here

Mocking at adversity or call it by any other queer name!...

By Ravi Ranganathan