Member Poem

When life in the city becomes too much to bear
When I am overwhelmed by a sense
of hopelessness and unrelenting stress—
The cacophony of city streets,
A mish mash of jarring sounds
cars whizzing by, horns blaring,
Ambulance wails in a distance
Buses moan and screech
Clickety-Clack of the overhead
“L” trains rumbling by
The din, the clamor, the ruckus,
the racket, rattle and roar
The street musicians
Dogs barking furiously down the lane
The chatter at the roadside vendors,
Oh, the babel of voices, the drunken brawls,

I retreat into the arms of nature.

Away from this chaotic world,
Alone, just by myself,
in the serene solitude of seclusion,
Wrapped up in a swath of silence
in this solemn dusk
I am at peace with myself
Among towering trees and splendorous falls
With its gushing streams and magnificent mountains,
The verdant fields and emerald green valleys
with rivers meandering down through
rolling hills and lush plains…

Soothe my insatiable craving for quietude!