THE HAZY PAST : Jatinder Aulakh

THE HAZY PAST

Jatinder Aulakh

I strain to pierce the mist

 that spans a thousand ages, 

a veil drawn tight across 

the valleys of my mind. 

My consciousness drifts like a lone bird, 

wings weary, gliding over 

ancient plains and faded ridges.

Clouds, heavy with borrowed rain, 

Ride the wind toward the sea 

swelling, darkening, ready to break. 

I too overflow.

Ancient memories rise like

 silt in a flooded river, clouding the present

with their quiet, stubborn weight. 

Others fear the haze and bolt their doors at dusk.

 I wait until the light bleeds low, 

then kick my motorcycle awake. 

Headlight feeble against the wall of mist,

I lean into the blind curve, 

heart racing with the engine.

A few feet of road is all Im given

 and I love it.

I do not know what calls me

beyond these hazy, 

shifting ages. 

Only that something lost is waiting there,

 and I am restless until I find it.

(Jatinder Aulakh is a writer, poet, author, and translator from Amritsar, India. Known for his introspective and philosophical verses, his work frequently explores human emotion, nature, and social reality.)