I walked through the cobbled streets

Through crowded streets

Through the cluttering markets beats

And like cornered in the river’s stream

I see silted folks with vivid dreams

Same old rumored talks

Some insidious haunting thoughts

And gleaming down the market maze

The weary sun’s dying rays

Sparkling the maidens’ charming dresses

Captivating sniggers and comely faces

A sweet surrender, a gentle retreat

A jaunt of hope or inscrutable defeat

So, the subtle fumble recedes

A sense of query, a word of heed

Is it all a satanic bliss

Or the luring devil’s promise

– © Nachiketa Sanyal