Will you share with us your stories of rapture
on days when the sun on your skin is an amber warmth,
letting you forget heartbreaks of adulthood
and smile like a child?
Will you tell us
what you search for when you run on the country roads
forcing fresh air into your pleading lungs,
your backpack full of dreams swaying madly on your back?
On nights
when the moon is the only light
will you lie down
and kiss the earth
and gaze at the stars
and listen to the zephyrs and their conspiring moods?
When you forget your alarms and clocks
what do you think of in the middle of pristine forests,
by the riverside and on ocean fronts
or when you’re lying with your eyes closed in the swaying high grass?
This world is ever-expanding
and we are so miniscule, ever so insignificant
but the truth will be tolerable
when our vagrant souls make and share stories
and you will come back soon with yours.
Won’t you?
On this World Poetry Day, which also happens to be World Forests Day, send us an original poem on forests, and stand to win a copy of The Crazy Desi Book! Read the contest rules below, and email your poems to contests@toehold.in right away!
Contest rules:
1. The poem has to be your original work. Plagiarism will lead to instant disqualification.
2. There is no limit on the length of the poem or the number of poems you can send in.
3. All poems have to be sent to contests@toehold.in before 6:00 p.m. on 23 March 2016.
4. The decision of the jury appointed by Toehold shall be final.
5. The prize is a free copy of ‘The Crazy Desi Book’ to one winner picked by the Toehold-appointed jury, including courier costs anywhere in India (only), and cannot be exchanged for cash or any other item.