Night, Stay

By Purti Sharma

If only you could last a little longer, dear night

The moon and stars could put on a better show

Dazzling and owning the dark sky

Gleaming as they glow.

If only you could last for a while more

Wretched souls could have someone to talk to

Someone, who would listen to them intently-

That mass embellished with craters,

Those tiny jewels dotting the expanse of the heavens

And sleep peacefully.

If only you could stay, dear night

She would have reached her lover's window

Without being caught

And they could have had a moment to themselves

Talking through silence

She wouldn't have laid in a pool of blood at dawn

Like she is now.

If only you could hang on for a bit, dear night

My dreams wouldn't burst out by frenzied shaking

And maybe, I could have finished knitting

A world of my own

In my head.

If only you chose to persist, dear night

Would they stop valuing you?

Would they long for light because

They are too scared of the dark?

I don't know about them

But you have a mystical spell on me

One which conceals the bad and brings out the good.

With you, I feel euphoric

I sense my soul shining for you!

By Purti Sharma