I sat by the banks of the river

The sun shining bright in the sky

The reflection that fell

Shivered and curled

As the shimmering waves

Toppled the image

It crudely bared the distorted view

As I bent low to catch its hue

Then suddenly the sun went down

A strong gust of wind shattered the peace

The nesting birds frightened and flew

Out of their feathery perch

My dangling legs in the water rattled

As a rock struck my toe

Harsh and crude it broke my reverie

Upon which I had fallen unawares

The bouncing roughened waves

Clammed and deafened my ears

Until I finally rose but swayed

The sand was damp the shells lay wild

Little crabs walked around

Somehow, I strode on but my legs sagged

As my feet touched the ground

I stared across the river now grown mild

The stars, the moon, were all streamlined

                                                                           ~Shobha Diwakar

                                                                               Jabalpur, India