Editorial Music & Art Humour Reflections Short Story Tarannum - From Ground Zero Musings Poetry Prev Issue Next Issue

The best part of the day is not the day itself but the night. A lame excuse, for one whose mornings begin at afternoons, or so I was told. Maybe yes, may be not.

The nighttime, a perfect time for peace. A time when nature tries to heal itself after facing the onslaught of man during the day. A time when the heat of the day is replaced by the cool pleasant breeze of the night. When the cacophony of bustling daily activities is replaced by an overwhelming silence, eerie to some but golden to others. Yes a peaceful time indeed. A time when sweepers don’t blow the dust into your face, when the passing motorcars don’t honk their horns at you, when the huge lorries don’t intimidate you off the roads. But most importantly the time when all that is ugly is masked by the darkness of the night. Ah the mid night walk. A tonic for those living in this slum, which we proudly refer to as a city.

One is fine; two if it is not the right company can be a crowd; three is most certainly a mob. To be far from the maddening crowd, a distant dream during the daytime but most certainly possible during the night time. This is the time when one can have his thoughts to himself. An opportunity to meditate. An opportunity to ponder about oneself. But this is also a time to observe, to observe a calf cuddle close to its mother for warmth and protection. To watch the man’s best friend guard the streets and prove that he is worthy of his title. And even admire those horrible creatures called bats as they efficiently hunt their prey in the darkness. Night or day, nature always has something to keep you awed.

And then you have those special days, when the full moon shines in all its glory. If only I could be by a river side and watch its reflection dance across the ripples to the tunes of the flowing water. Wishful thinking but nature seldom grants one’s wishes.

Finally I behold the night sky in all its glory. The stars, shining bright and blue and twinkling occasionally as if in a cosmic dance. An effect so enchanting that it can bring forth a smile to the saddest of minds. Very difficult to resist smiling indeed as hard to resist returning the innocent smile of a four year old. Yes, most certainly a time when the world as we know it goes to sleep but the universe itself awakens. “Surely you must feel lonely all alone out there at night” my friends asked me. “No I don’t” I told them because that is the only time when I have the entire universe by my side.

Wish me a good night’s walk.

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