Shamasis Bhattacharya

When I gaze skyward, no stars greet me,
No planets, moons, or clouds; not even a comet’s tail.
What I see are faces —
Faces that look down, speak, and call...

Each face morphs into a star; each star becomes a face.

Strange visages abound:
Some laugh, some weep, some mock,
While others haunt the night’s canvas.
Among these faces, some familiar, others strangers—
Yet, do I not know them all?

A few taunt subtly, with but a lean smile—
A nuanced gesture of care.
Their gentle twinkles, assuring me of their presence,
Overshadowing my life from afar.

Even as life cloaks me in its suffocating shroud of peril,
Their faint glow soothes my soul.
“We are here,” they whisper,
“Rise up, reach high.
Lend me whatever strength you possess.”

Their voices wane, echoing across the calm of Rushmore Lake,
Imploring, “Do not leave.
Please, stay.
Stay for the sake of the unseen truths.”

Alas, why must the wretched clouds intrude?
Each time hope flickers, they mimic the sinking sands,
Swallowing those who laugh heartily in their scorn,
Mocking my existence, my dreams, my aspirations.

Can they undermine me? Am I but a slave to these clouds?

The answer lies across the shore,
Where opulent stars blaze with unyielding light.
Is it their magnanimity, or merely a façade of self-interest?

Yet, in their tranquil expanse, they rest —
Sated, their desires at their feet. But can they grant a wish?
For those dim stars no longer able to glow, or those past their prime,
Can they rekindle the faltering spirit at life’s fragile edge?

The affluent stars persist in isolated splendour,
While the deprived ones laugh —
Not to forget their plight, but to pity the facade of plushery.

The search continues for those now unseen,
In places where they once shone bright.
Now, as the sky darkens, I close my eyes and envision them still —
Vivid, rejuvenated, revelling in newfound existence.

Some paint pictures, some divine futures, some forge paths.
I contemplate.
Soon, I too will join them,
A mere speck in the celestial tapestry.

Will you see me from below?