Two antique lanterns in hand
we set off to find
something precious in the sand
when the sun was setting
and the wind was sleeping;
A child's fancies spurred by fables
we believed to be true.
You thought you found it;
and lo; before you could show it to me
it slipped and fell in the wet sand.
And seeing you sad,
I the ever hopeful
offered to help and held
my lantern aloft.
You bent and fiddled
with the wave and the sand.
In the flickering light,
the lantern swayed
The precious thing was lost.
The memories of that moment
reverberate on the land
and the sea carries it far beyond.
One day
someone will come to seek it again;
will find and hold it tight
not to let it slip away
and fall into the wet sand without a trace.
Sushama Karnik.
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