AJANTA PAUL
★ ★ ★ ★
POETRY
Image by Vino Li
Night
The sky was black
like a cat, the yellow moon
the tawny slit of an eye
in a feline fur of darkness
watching the earth, stealthily,
trailing it dutifully
like the familiar
of a cunning conjuror,
performing tasks allotted to her,
as her mistress mixed potions
of haunted hibiscus and bleak nightmare,
brewed tears and dark despair
in a cauldron of fear,
stirring its promiscuous potpourri
in time’s slippery slurry.
In the magic of the moment
of that wild, witching hour,
planet and moon waltzing,
firmament turning,
silent, sultry satellite
reflects the unseen star’s blighted light.
Night
Ajanta Paul is an academic from Kolkata, India who writes poetry, short stories and literary criticism. She has published in literary journals including Spadina Literary Review, The Pangolin Review, The Piker Press, Shot Glass Journal, Poetic Sun, Capella, The Punch Magazine and The Bombay Review. She was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2020. Ajanta published a collection of short stories The Elixir Maker and Other Stories in 2019 and a book of poetic plays The Journey Eternal in 2013.
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Lovely imagery
Thank you!
Beautiful! Happy Halloween
Your poem has given a new perspective of Halloween.
Pure chance that I came across this wonderful coming together of images of night! You are definitely the master of alliteration. Read Night several times! Will look out for more!
Pritam Benjamin ( your ole teacher)
I am friends with your sister Robita Sinha
Mike Mastromatteo
mastrofamily@live.ca
Thank you, Mike.