Rain In Containment Zone Poem by Saroj Padhi

Monsoon has brought some relief from pain
with its soulful touch
assuaging the agony of self-isolation
with tiny drops of rain,
reaching out to corners of cramped cells
that piteously yell for oxygen;

days of confinement in the containment zone
have turned us into cockroaches in crevices
scrambling up lofts, rafters, cracks and secret spaces,
cupboards filled with stale memory and food grain;

lathies chase us on streets, viruses hunt us everywhere
beneath all masks, spreading their deadly scare
as we search for means our breath to sustain,
and hold on to a life with hate as the only refrain;

life is hollow, love a day dream
setting the stage for dance of death to reign
as in corridors of apathy, the Covid patients scream
for a little attention, sulking in death's cruel grin;

we have no plans these days, no moves during night
but to lie like turtles on mud floor with dull brain
and before being washed away by the Corona floods
on chest of time, perhaps a few lines of epitaph to pen!