Art by Shreya Chaturvedi
Tell me O! Great Mountain,
What must I write about?
Failure plagues these barren pages of mine,
As I find myself lost in your sight.
You sit meditating across my window,
Like a sage glowing in the distant sun.
Guide me to the silent glaciers,
Where untold tales lay frozen.
Do you ridicule my constant failures?
Or do you look at me with feigned interest?
For I get to behold you in all your majesty,
While you remain dutiful to my room of dust.
Tell me O! Great Mountain,
When I look up to you,
Do you look back at me?
Maybe we are bound in a timeless gaze.
Or am I victimized by my sheer vanity?
When I look at you, I search for words,
Words which seem vaguely familiar,
Yet somehow lost to me.
But when your eyes fall upon my poor self,
What is it that you search for?
Tell me O! Great Mountain,
Will you miss me when I’m gone?
As you sit here in contemplation and epochs pass,
Will your thoughts ever wander to find mine?
Will you meet me in the afterlife?
After the prolonged solitude of your lonesome existence,
Will you accept my companionship?
We can talk over a cup of tea,
After all, it is your turn to speak now.
Regale me with your tales O! Great Mountain.
Did you love someone?
Were you awaiting her arrival?
Or mourning her loss?
Was that her, who chided your dismal disposition?
The white robe of snow you would slip into,
Was that only meant for her eyes?
Tell me about those eyes then,
The ones that made you discard your ragged shroud.
Tell me about those eyes,
For whom you embraced this display of splendour.
Tell me about those eyes,
That made a celestial being long for approval.
Tell me about those eyes O! Great Mountain,
For I might have something to write about after all.
The author is currently studying for an M.A. in English from the University of Jammu. He has interned with Architectural Digest India and has also undertaken a Creative Writing course with the British Council. He lives with his family in Jammu amidst the Himalayan foothills in India. Check out his blog here, and follow him on Instagram @the.winter.of.our.discontent
Shreya Chaturvedi (@curls_and_bones) is an illustrator who makes work inspired from the world around her, experimenting with colour palettes and objects that can be found in nature, transforming normal settings into the otherworldly and whimsical.